THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT 


yj  ^ 


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f-: 


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THE 

SON    OF    A    STAE 

VOL.  I. 


PRIN'TED    BY 

tiPOTTISWOODE    AND    CO.,    NEW-STKEET   SQUARE 

LOKDON 


THE 


SON    OF    A    STAE 


A    ROMANCE    OF    THE    SECOND    CENTURY 


/V'///     ///r  •     '-//////r'/ 


LONDON 
LONGMANS,     GEEEN,     AND     CO, 

AND  NEW  YORK  :  15  EAST  m^^  STREET 

1888 

All    rights    reserved 


THE 


SON    OF    A    STAR 


A    ROMANCE    OF    THE    SECOND    CENTURY 


BY 


BENJAMIN   WARD    EICHARDSON 


IN    THREE    VOLUMES 
VOL.    I. 


'  Ficta  voluptatis  caiisd  sit  proxiina  veris' — Hor. 


LONDON 
LONGMANS,     GREEN,     AND     CO. 

AND  NEW  YORK  :  15  EAST  16'h  STREET 
1888 

All    rights    reserved 


FK 


v./ 


1 


TO 

MY     WIFE 
MARY   J.  RICHAEDSON 

I     DEDICATE 

WITH    ALL    MY    HEART 

THIS    BOOK 

'THE     SON     OF     A     STAR 


London 

25  Manchester  Square 

Midsummer  Day  1888 


558154 

RESERVE 


B.  W.  R. 


CONTENTS 


OF 


THE     FIRST     VOLUME. 


CHAPTER 

I.  AN    OPENING   VISION 

II.  VIVAT    FIDELIS     .... 

III.  MAN   AND    BEAST       .... 

IV.  AVE    C^SAR  !          .            .            .            . 
V.  A   MIRACLE 

VI.  A   LIVING   TORCH 

VII.  MIRTH   AND    MYSTERY 

VIII.  LAID    LOW    WITH    WINE 

IX.  INTERPOSITION  .... 

X.  IN   THE   CAP   OP   LIBERTY      . 

XI.  FROM   BRITAIN    TO   JOPPA 

XII.  A   LEGEND    OP   PARADISE 

XIII.  THE    LEARNED   CHILD 

XIV.  THE    SHEPHERD   AND    THE    PRINCESS 
XV.  SCHOLARS   AHEAD     .... 

XVI.  IN    HAPPY   FLIGHT 


I'AGK 
1 

12 

34 

50 

60 

70 

84 

99 

130 

145 

171 

182 

192 

198 

245 

257 


THE    SON    OF   A    STAE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

AN    OPENING   VISION. 

Come,  my  reader,  come,  and  for  a  few  short 
hours  dream  with  me.  We  shall  not  waste 
time  in  a  dream,  since  dreams,  however  in- 
tense, are,  usually,  the  fleeting  passages  of  our 
idle  hours.  For  all  that  we  may,  perchance, 
realise  much  that  partakes  of  action,  make 
many  new  acquaintances,  and  learn  the  de- 
tails of  many  curious  histories,  places,  and 
persons. 

With  such  prospects  in  view  I  ask  you  now, 
with  book  ni  hand,  to  lay  aside  for  the  brief 
time  all  ordinary  cares  and  pleasures  to  dream 
with  me,  and  withal  to  trust  me  as  I  lead  you 
along  from  stage  to  stage.  A  novel,  in  order  to 

VOL.    I.  B 


^ 


2  THE    SOX    OF    A    STAR 

bear  the  truth  of  its  name,  must  be  novel,  and 
I  promise  tliat  this  shall  open  up  a  vision  of 
history  new  to  a  large  majority  and  yet  resting 
on  old  realities,  strangest  of  strange  in  the 
past  life  of  iininortal  races.  Yes,  a  history ! 
but  dillering  from  common  history  just  as,  a 
dream,  founded  on  the  reading  of  a  real  page 
of  modern  matter  of  fact,  might  leave  the  in- 
delinite  thought  '  Did  I  dream  it  or  hear  it  ?  ' 

FROM   A   BATTLEMENT. 

A  mighty  encampment  in  Western  Britain 
stands  near  the  spot  where  our  vision  is  first 
revealed.  It  is  the  temporary  home  of  armed 
legions,  who  bend  to  the  will  of  one  man  as 
trees  bend  to  the  wind,  gently,  so  gently  they 
are  barely  seen  to  move  ;  stately,  so  stately,  as 
if  tliev  were  bowinuj  their  heads  to  a  c^od  of 

JO  o 

war  ;  furiously,  so  furiously  that  lightning  and 
thunder,  and  hail  and  hurricane  are  combined 
in  a  storm  of  destruction  and  death,  clearing 
all  Ijefore  them  ! 

On  the  battlement  of  a  tower  built  ages 
after  these  legions  were  no  more,  we  see,  in 
our  vision,  at  the  first  ghmpse,  the  lines  of  the 


AN   OPENING   VISION  3 

encampment  of  these  men  so  well  laid  out  and 
so  faithfully  preserved,  that  all  its  parts  are 
easily  filled  up  as  the  mind  permits  itself  to 
indulge  in  the  effort. 

The  encampment  is  a  square  of  eight 
hundred  yards  on  each  side  :  a  square  with 
earthworks  for  its  ramparts,  about  fifteen  feet 
high  on  the  inner  side,  and  sloping  so  easily 
that  a  man  could  run  from  the  level  to  the 
top  at  a  breath.  The  ramparts  are  pierced 
by  four  openings  or  portals,  one  commanding 
each  quarter  of  the  heavens.  The  openings 
are  simply  cut  out  of  the  earth  ;  there  is  neither 
brick  nor  stone  connected  with  them.  Each 
is  closed,  when  required  to  be  closed,  by  a 
gate  of  massive  wood,  supported  on  huge 
columns  of  wood  or  piles  backed  up  by  earth 
and  spanned  over  by  a  strong  narrow  bridge 
also  of  wood,  along  which  a  solitary  sentinel 
silently  paces,  resting  at  intervals  on  his 
spear,  as  if  the  spear  with  its  shining  point 
aloft  were  a  staff,  held  or  fixed  in  its  place 
like  a  standard.  As  he  rests  he  takes  a 
survey  of  the  outer  scene  that  lies  beneath 
him  in  tiers  of  external  earthworks  cut  like 
giant's   steps  one  below  another,  and  ending 

B   2 


4  TEE   SON   OF    A   STAR 

at  last  in  a  deep  incline  which,  in  a  descent 
of  five  hundred  feet,  terminates  gently  in  the 
rugged  plain  from  which  the  fortress  takes  its 
rise. 

Beneath  the  sentinels  on  the  bridges  span- 
ninjz  the  gates  we  see  other  sentinels  on  the 
terraces  wliich  surround  the  encampment. 
These  form  a  watchful  circuit,  every  man  true 
to  his  beat  as  the  path  of  a  sun.  As  they 
meet  each  other  on  relieving  guard  they 
exchange  a  password  which  our  ear,  preter- 
naturally  acute,  is  permitted  to  catch.  The 
password  is  '  Fidelis '  of  '  Csesarea.' 

At  this  moment,  for  some  reason,  the  en- 
campment is  almost  void  of  men.  Men  on 
sentinel  duty  are  there,  but  few  other.  Along 
the  main  streets  of  the  camp  the  sentinels,  one 
on  each  side,  pass  and  repass  in  their  measured 
beats.  Alonii'  the  cross  streets  others  do  the 
same,  all  of  them  on  foot,  but  round  the  prse- 
torium  and  chief  officers'  quarters,  and,  every- 
where in  the  officers'  part  of  the  camp,  the 
sentries  are  mounted  on  horses  noble  as  them- 
selves. On  the  top  of  the  ramparts,  all  round, 
soldiers  of  a  superior  order  hold  the  watch. 
These  are  men  of  rather  advanced  years.  They 


AN   OPENING   VISION  5 

have  served  their  time,  but  have  chosen  to  stay 
on,  and  they  bear  in  their  hands  the  javehn. 
They  are  the  glory  of  the  army  ;  they  fill  every 
post  of  solemn  trust.  They  follow  the  com- 
mander of  the  camp  whoever  he  may  be,  and 
on  occasions  of  great  ceremony  surround  him. 
They  wear  as  their  armour  a  headpiece  of 
bright,  almost  white,  metal,  a  shield  of  the 
same  metal  on  their  left  arm,  and  a  plate  of 
it  on  their  breast. 

Intent  as  these  various  grades  of  guar- 
dians of  the  camp  are  on  their  duty,  they  are 
quick  to  listen,  quick  to  hear ;  and,  as  we 
detect,  they  often  pause  to  catch  any  sound 
that  may  proceed  from  the  south-western  side 
of  their  encampment,  beyond  a  little  wood 
of  pine-trees  which  skirts  that  spot  and 
descends  over  the  lower  ramparts  into  the 
plain. 

Our  tower  of  observation,  from  which  we 
get  our  look  into  the  encampment,  is  itself  built 
on  a  rising  ground  to  the  west  of  the  camp. 
Once  on  its  site  stood  a  temple,  dedicated 
to  Apollo,  traces  of  which  yet  remain  beneath 
the  present  foundations,  and  even  before  then 
it  had  been  a  ruder  temple  of  some  previous 


6  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

deity.  Lost  to  both  these,  its  first  gods,  it 
was  next  transformed  into  a  minster  where 
saintly  devotees  sang  the  early  and  the  late 
celebrations  with  tlie  rising  of  the  morn  and 
the  closing  of  the  night.  And  now  for  three 
centuries  it  has  been  a  simple  parish  church 
standing  alone  in  its  glory,  dear  to  its  children 
who  worship  in  it  the  God  of  their  fathers 
and  bury  their  dead  under  its  shadows  ;  dear, 
very  dear  to  the  archasologist,  as  belonging  to 
four  great  epochs  of  human  faith,  worship, 
architecture,  and  race. 

From  the  eastern  wall  of  the  battlement 
of  this  holy  place  we  have  looked,  in  our 
vision,  into  the  encampment  lying  so  grandly 
before  us,  and  now  we  will  move  across  to  the 
western  wall  to  discover  what  is  giving  rise 
below  to  the  clamours  to  which  the  sentries 
listen  as  they  tread  their  rounds.  But  as  we 
pass  from  the  eastern  wall  of  the  tower  to  the 
western,  we  catch  sight  in  the  distance,  on  the 
northern  side,  beyond  a  stretch  of  beautiful 
country,  of  a  steep  white  road  dividing  a  long 
and  dense  w^ood.  This  were  a  picture  in  itself 
even  if  it  were  one  of  still  life,  still  as  death. 
It  is  not  still,  for  as  we  take  the  scene  into 


AN    OrENINO   VISION  7 

our  mind  we  take  also  the  fact  that  descend- 
ing that  hard  white  road  there  is  a  cavalcade 
in  splendid  marching  order.  As  a  bird  would 
fly  the  cavalcade  seems  almost  close  upon  us, 
although  it  is  really  some  six  or  seven  miles 
distant ;  for  the  road  descends  and  after- 
wards winds  amongst  the  trees  of  the  valley 
below. 

We  discern  that  the  members  of  the  caval- 
cade are  a  mixture  of  horse  and  foot  soldiers, 
the  footmen  in  the  centre  marching  nearly  in 
a  square,  the  horsemen  before  and  behind  in 
a  longer  and  narrower  line.  The  square  of 
footmen  appears  to  enclose  some  great  trea- 
sure, as  if  it  were  moving  with  a  citadel 
within  it ;  but  every  part  passes  down  the 
incline  with  an  order  and  steadiness  which  is 
almost  painful  in  its  rigid  regularity.  T]ie 
metal  caps  of  the  soldiers,  their  breastplates 
and  the  heads  of  their  spears  are  dazzhng  from 
the  brilliancy  with  which  they  reflect  the  rays 
of  the  sun  ;  and  so,  like  a  train  of  silver,  they 
descend  into  the  depth  that  conceals  them 
from  our  sight. 

This  diversion  of  our  senses  over,  we  turn 
now  to  take  in  the  new  view  we  were  seekina-. 


S  THE    SON    OF    A    STAR 

and  nearly  at  our  feet  discover  a  gigantic 
aiiipliitheatre  crowded  with  spectators  and 
marvellous  to  behold. 

The  amphitheatre  is  an  enclosed  space 
without  ramparts,  but  laid  out  in  some  manner 
like  the  interior  of  the  encampment.  It  is 
obloncr  in  form,  in  which  it  differs  from  the 
(!amp,  and  on  the  low  walls  of  it  within  are 
cut  out  tiers  of  seats  raised  one  above 
another  and  grass  covered.  In  the  centre,  on 
the  long  side  nearest  to  the  camp,  is  a  platform 
or  da'is  rounded  in  front  so  as  to  face  the  theatre 
and  retreating  backwards  into  a  roadway 
which  extends  westward  until  it  leads  into  the 
western  gate  of  the  encampment.  The  dais  is 
large  enough  to  seat  a  hundred  persons,  and 
from  the  back  of  it  rises  the  standard  of  the 
Eoman  eagle.  Upon  it  are  placed  the  seats  of 
honour  for  the  commander  of  the  forces  and 
his  attendant  officers.  On  the  opposite  side, 
and  precisely  facing  the  dais,  is  another  wide 
opening,  a  grand  gateway  through  which,  pro- 
bably, they  who  may  be  about  to  take  part 
in  the  performances,  contests,  or  speeches,  may 
make  their  entrances  and  exits.  Beyond  that 
open  gateway  is  the  country,  bounded  in  front 


AN   OPENING    VISION  9 

hj  a  low  range  of  hills  and  farther  back  by 
mountams  richly  blue  in  colour  and  ending 
in  one  lofty  peak  which  seems  to  crown  the 
whole  and  shut  off  further  view. 

The  place  which  lies  immediately  beneath 
us  is  the  grand  circus  of  the  Eoman  Legions  of 
Britain.  A  circus  which  every  Eoman  soldier 
has  heard  of,  and  which  many  thousands  liave 
seen.  A  circus  second  only  to  that  which  Julius 
Caesar  built  on  Eoman  soil  itself.  It  is  half 
a  mile  in  circumference,  and  will  seat  many 
thousand  spectators. 

In  detail  the  circus  of  Britain  resembles  and 
yet  differs  from  that  of  Eome.  In  it  there  is  a 
path  round  which  horses  ridden  by  men  as  well 
as  horses  attached  to  chariots  can  race.  In 
it  the  racers,  combatants,  or  performers  enter 
from  the  chief  gateway  opposite  the  dais, 
and,  marching  across  the  arena  by  a  path 
laid  out  for  them,  proceed  to  a  smaller  arena 
or  ring  immediately  in  front  of  the  dais,  in 
which  they  carry  out  their  minor  combats  or 
games  under  the  immediate  eye  of  the  presid- 
ing genius  of  the  fete  ;  or  from  which  they 
file  out  into  the  large  arena,  when  horsemen, 
swordsmen,    runners    or    wrestlers     are     to 


10  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

exhibit  tlieir  mimic  war  or  savao;e  skill  on  a 
grander  scale. 

The  balconies  of  the  circus  are  filled  with 
spectators,  a  mighty  concourse  of  mixed 
peoples  wild  with  excitement  if  sounds  may 
be  accepted  as  evidence  of  expectation. 

Some  great  event  is  surely  about  to  take 
place,  for  observe  the  standards  of  the  eagle 
are  beinir  raised  above  the  balconies  at  fixed 
points ;  the  centurions  are  placing  their  men 
near  each  standard ;  and  the  trumpets  are 
giving  forth  a  deafening  voice. 

Let  us  descend  from  our  distant  height 
and  find  a  place  somewhere  on  the  balconies. 
Take  care !  that  small  ladder  leading  from  the 
door  of  the  battlement  to  the  beam  below 
which  carries  the  bells  is  not  too  firm  ;  the 
beam  is  not  too  broad,  and  the  next  ladder 
leading  down  to  the  belfry  might  be  stronger 
and  steadier.  It  is  well  not  to  look  down  but 
to  keep  the  eyes  turned  towards  the  inside  of 
the  tapering  spire.  All  right,  we  are  in  the 
belfry  and  the  steps  to  the  chancel  are  wind- 
mg  steps  of  stone,  much  worn  but  solid  as 
rocks.     Never  mind  the  darkness,  it  will  last 


AN   OPENING   VISION  ll 

but  a  moment !  We  have  reached  the  hght, 
and  are  through  the  low  archway  into  the 
open  air ! 

IN  THE   CONCOURSE. 

Come  with  me !  Nothing  save  a  field, 
which  we  will  quickly  cross,  lies  between  us 
and  the  amphitheatre.  Let  us  glide  across, 
skirting  the  path  leading  from  the  camp 
to  the  dais,  but  bearing  a  little  to  the  right 
that  we  may  find  a  place  in  the  balcony  on 
the  left  of  the  seats  of  honour.  The  magnates 
from  the  camp  have  preceded  us,  and  are 
in  their  places  by  the  time  we  have  gained 
our  position,  which  fortunately  commands  a 
splendid  view  of  the  whole  scene  and  specially 
of  the  General,  who  is  seated  like  an  Emperor 
in  the  chair  of  state,  and  who  is  for  the 
moment  the  Emperor  of  western  Eoman 
Britain. 

We  can  now  look  round  at  leisure.  We  are 
privileged  !  To  the  whole  assembly  before  us 
we  are  unseen  spirits,  though  they  are  not  such 
to  us.  We  dream,  and  they  are  the  world  in 
which,  during  the  time  of  our  vision,  we  ar<& 
cast. 


12  TUE   SON    OF  A    STAR 


CHAPTER  II. 

VIVAT    FIDELIS! 

By  our  side,  as  we  survey  the  wonderful  scene, 
are  two  men  of  quality  whose  conversation,  as 
we  are  forced  to  hear  it,  tells  us  that  they  are 
newly  arrived  from  Rome.  Everything  is  as 
new  to  them  as  it  is  to  us,  if  we  may  judge  by 
their  words.  They  are  commenting  on  the 
differences  of  the  Circus  Britannicus  and  the 
Circus  IMaximus  of  Caesar. 

'  Why  is  the  spina,'  meaning  the  low  wall 
which  ran  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the 
Roman  circus,  '  why,  my  Fabius,  is  the  spina 
left  out  in  this  place  ? ' 

'  Nay,  I  know  not,'  answers  the  companion 
of  the  questioner,  '  nor  why  there  is  no 
meta,'  referring  to  the  raised  pillar  at  each 
end  of  the  spina  which  indicates  the  starting 
and  fmishing  points  of  the  Roman  course. 

They  are  interrupted  at  this  moment  by 


VI VAT    FIDELIS  !  13 

a  new  arrival,  who  hastily  climbs  the  balcony 
from  the  arena  to  greet  them  as  strangers  in 
Britain  but  as  old  comrades  in  Rome. 

'  By  the  gods  it  is  Tinnius  Eufus,'  they 
both  exclaim  ere  they  proceed  to  salute  their 
friend  in  the  usual  way  with  the  kiss. 

The  person  in  question  carries  in  his  face 
the  height  of  good  humour.  He  is  of  ruddy 
complexion,  and  his  beard  and  hair  partake 
of  the  same  bright  glow.  He  is  rather  stout 
for  his  years,  and  his  cheeks  are  roundly  fat 
and  full  as  well  as  ruddy.  After  the  saluta- 
tions they  ask  him  the  questions  they  have 
asked  themselves. 

'  You  wish  to  know,  my  Fabius,  you  wish 
to  know,  my  Yibullius,whythis  circus,  finished 
by  the  hands  of  these  legions  here  is  not  in  the 
Eoman  style.  I  will  tell  you.  We  found  it,  as 
we  found  the  camp,  ready  for  use.  In  ages 
to  come  the  people  will  give  us  the  credit  of 
building  hundreds  of  Eoman  camps  and  cir- 
cuses in  Britain,  whereas  we  seized  them  all, 
planned  and  made  by  these  island  savages. 
This  camp  and  amphitheatre  we  found  in  the 
best  condition  after  we  had  wrested  them  from 
the  people  for  whom,  wishing  to  pacify  them 


14  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

a^  much  as  possible,  we  have  let  the  circus 
remaiu  with  the  fewest  possible  changes.  Here 
tlie  natives  still  run  their  horses  and  chariots 
and  men,  in  contests  round  the  broad  course. 
There,  in  the  centre,  where  the  earth  rises 
they  once  filled  wicker  cages  with  their  victims 
taken  in  war,  and  in  honour  of  a  sort  of 
Apollo  of  their  own  burnt  the  wretches  alive. 
In  the  fore,  in  front  of  our  old  schoolmate 
Julius  Severus,  who,  as  you  see,  has  risen  to 
the  highest  post  here,  is  their  lesser  arena 
surrounded  by  a  pit,  in  which  they  make  their 
very  cocks,  armed  on  the  claws  with  metal 
spurs,  fight  till,  like  other  fools  of  heroes,  they 
die  immortal.  Oh  !  by  Mars,  these  ancient  men 
of  Britain  knew  how  to  play  as  well  as  fight. 
If  in  the  days  of  Cassar  they  had  had  Severus 
there  to  lead  them,  it  is  more  likely  they 
would  have  taken  Eome  than  we  their  island.' 
'  Happy  for  us  some  good  things  have 
crept  in,'  responded  Fabius.  '  The  calx  (the 
chalk  line)  is  there  in  order  ;  the  General 
sits  in  the  tribune ;  the  podium  holds  the 
officers ;  the  noble  horsemen  have  their  proper 
places  in  the  rear ;  the  masters  of  the  cere- 
monies are  at  their  posts  ;  and  the  Mappa  (the 


VrVAT    FIDELIS  !  15 

officer  who  throws  down  the  white  signal  to 
start  each  contest)  is  all  alive.  But  where  are 
the  judges? ' 

'  Severus  himself  is  sole  judge  in  Britain.' 

'It  is  just,'  replied  Fabius,  with  the  slight 
reverence  which  the  cultured  Eoman  offers 
whenever  the  Emperor  or  his  representative 
is  named.  '  It  is  just,  but  I  like  not  the 
presence  of  those  half- clad  viragos  in  the 
popularia '  (the  seats  where  the  public  find 
places).  '  In  Rome  the  women  of  position  alone 
are  permitted  in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor, 
and  they  near  to  or  around  his  person,  or  by 
the  side  of  the  senate.' 

'  You  do  not  understand  these  native 
women,  my  Eoman  child,'  responds  the  red 
beard,  '  or  you  would  speak  of  them  in  dif- 
ferent terms.  They  are  not  women,  they  are 
demons.  When  Claudius  made  his  way  into 
the  east  of  the  island,  a  woman  who  led  the 
people  against  him  fought  like  a  hundred 
demons,  and  still  her  name  is  known  and  wor- 
shipped far  and  wide.  Ten  women  out  of 
twenty  are  named  after  her.  My  own  Boadicea 
bears  her  name,  and  our  daughter  the  same.' 

'  Eheu ! '  falters  out  VibuUius.    '  Eheu  !  our 


16        •  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

Tinnius  lias  married  a  demon  wlio  lieaps  fire  on 
his  head.  No  wonder  he  should  look  so  fierce.' 
Here  tlie  conversation  of  the  friends  is 
stopped  by  the  ring  of  the  clarions,  the  rising 
of  the  vast  multitude  from  their  seats,  and  a 
general  cry  of  the  Eoman  people  present : — 
*  The  gods  !  the  gods  !  the  gods  ! ' 
At  the  cry  Severus  himself  rises  reverently 
from  his  throne,  and  now,  for  the  first  time, 
we  distinctly  perceive  two  separate  and  hostile 
races  in  occupation  of  the  Circus  Britannicus. 
It  may  be  that  the  difierence  of  dress  and 
of  costume  distinguishes  the  races,  for  every 
Eoman  carries  some  sign  of  the  conquering 
Eoman  soldier,  while  every  native  carries  some 
sign  of  the  subdued  savage  ;  it  may  be  that  the 
difference  of  build  of  body  distinguishes  them, 
for  the  Eoman,  close-built,  sturdy-limbed, 
broad-faced,  and  round-headed,  contrasts 
strongly  with  the  tall,  hthe,  long-limbed  body, 
and  high,  pointed,  long  head  of  the  Briton, 
But  the  grand  distinction  is  in  the  expression 
of  the  face  of  the  two  orders  who  make  up  the 
multitude,  a  distinction  terribly  declared  when 
the  clarions  ring  the  order  for  the  procession 
of  the  gods. 


VIVAT  FIDELIS!  17 

In  one  sense  the  procession  is  of  living 
interest  to  both  sets  of  spectators,  for  it 
heralds  some  great  sights  or  contests  which 
they  are  to  behold,  and  which  will  stir  their 
blood  up  to  fever  point.  But  to  the  Eoman 
the  procession  is  a  solemn  religious  rite,  whilst 
to  the  Briton  it  is  a  solemn  mockery  forced 
on  him  until  it  pierces  him  to  the  soul.  The 
difference  is  as  Hght  to  darkness. 

The  Briton  has  for  ages  worshipped  the 
sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars  ;  his  great  god  is 
one  god  who  from  earliest  times  has  given 
himself  to  mankind  as  fire  :  who  shows  him- 
self as  the  sun,  and  who  is  succeeded,  when  he 
withdraws  his  glorious  face  of  gold,  either  by 
his  child  of  silver  the  moon,  or  by  night,  the 
black  demon  of  darkness  and  symbol  of  eter- 
nal death.  To  him,  therefore,  the  worship  of 
these  sticks  and  stones,  called  gods,  carried  in 
their  dumb  and  silly  guises  in  chariots  or  on 
the  shoulders  of  men,  to  which  dumb  things 
men  bend  their  heads  or  prostrate  their 
bodies,  is  idle  show  and  play.  The  expression 
of  the  people  tells  their  story  of  behef.  The 
Eoman  reverently  worships.  The  Briton^ 
forced  by  the  sword,  performs  the  worsliip 
VOL.    I.  c 


18  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

with  an  expression  of  hate,  disgust,  contempt, 
revenge,  which  no  sword,  however  keen,  can 
touch. 

The  faces  of  the  subdued  but  not  conquered 
people  tell  the  everlasting  story,  that  the 
mind  of  man  is  never,  never  vanquished.  The 
faces  declare  as  distinctly  as  the  tongues  could 
have  told  that  the  rulers  of  Britain  with 
all  their  might  have  still  a  deadly  enemy  on 
their  hands,  an  enemy  they  have  for  a  moment 
coerced  but  have  not  finally  suppressed :  an 
enemy  that  will  die  but  will  never  remain 
enslaved. 

'  The  accursed  gods,'  murmurs  a  native 
chief  to  his  wife,  in  their  native  tongue. 

'  Accursed ! '  hisses  the  woman  between  her 
teeth,  like  the  sound  of  a  serpent ;  '  I  would 
we  could  burn  them  with  their  followers  in 
the  cages  w^iich  once  stood  where  the  beasts 
now  fight.' 

'  Silence ! '  calls  out  a  Roman  centurion, 
as  with  his  vitis  or  rod  of  the  vine,  which  a 
centurion  always  carries,  he  inflicts  a  deep 
mark  first  across  the  bare  shoulders  of  the 
man  and  then  of  the  woman  ;  '  silence  !  and 
pay  homage  to  the  immortal  gods  ! ' 


VIVAT   FIDELIS!  19 

A  groan,  a  curse,  and  a  stiff-necked  bend 
of  the  head  as  the  images  pass  are  the  answers 
to  this  demonstrative  command. 

A  suppressed  cry  from  an  almost  adjoining 
seat  calls  attention  to  two  figures  so  different 
to  all  the  rest  of  the  vast  assembly  and  wit- 
nesses of  the  passing  drama  that  they  must 
surely  belong  to  another  and  an  unknown 
land. 

A  man  and  a  child. 

But  for  the  intense  anxiety  to  see  what 
is  to  be  exhibited  in  the  arena,  these  two 
strangers  would  of  themselves  be  centres  of 
greatest  attraction  and  wonder.  They  are 
neither  Eoman,  British,  Cymric,  Gallic,  nor 
Jewish ;  but  wanderers  who  might  have 
alio:hted  from  the  skies. 

The  man  is  tall  of  stature,  his  counte- 
nance gentle  as  it  is  wise,  his  hair  dark,  his 
eyes  blue.  He  is  dressed  in  a  garb  itself 
sufficiently  picturesque  and  novel  to  arrest  the 
attention  of  the  crowd  near  to  him.  Around 
his  body  is  a  closely  fitting  jacket  or  jerkin, 
with  lappets  artistically  cut  at  the  breast  and 
throat  so  as  to  show  a  fold  or  roll  which 
loosely  encircles  his  neck.     His  lower  limbs 

c  2 


20  THE    SON    OF    A    STAU 

are  enclosed  in  loose  trousers  wliicli  reach  just 
below  the  knee  and  are  gathered  up  with  a 
silken   girdle.     The  legs  are  clothed  in  long 
socks  which  extend  to  the  knees,  and  are  held 
in  place  beneath  the  trousers    by  the  girdle 
of  silk.     The  feet  are  hidden  in  shoes  made 
of  leather  or  hide,  laced  in  front  with  golden 
cords  and  soled  with  some  solid  substance  re- 
sembling the  bark  of  a  tree,  the  point  of  the 
shoe  long  and  sharp.      The  jacket   or  body 
dress  is  supplemented  by  a  mantle  of  emerald 
green,  whicli,  flowing  over  the  under  garments 
of  almost  yellow    tint,  gives  a   richness   and 
chasteness   of  colour  that  is  itself  a  picture. 
Finally,  a  head-dress  consisting  of  a  loose  cap 
made  of  a  substance  like  dark  velvet,  but  of 
coarser  texture,  completes  a  costume  as  sin- 
gular as  it  is  convenient  and  graceful. 

The  companion  of  this  strange  being,  ob- 
viously, both  from  look  and  from  manner,  his 
daugliter,  is,  perhaps,  more  remarkable  than 
himself.  She  may  be  sixteen  years  of  age, 
but  she  retains  all  the  innocence  and  beauty 
of  the  child.  Eer  eye?,  like  those  of  her 
parent,  are  blue ;  her  hair  is  a  rich  auburn, 
falling  in  precious  curls  wliich,  wafted  from 


YIVAT   FIDELIS  !  21 

her  brow  over  her  shoulders,  frame  a  face  of 
pale  and  saintly  beauty.  She  is  clothed  in 
one  long  dress  of  hght  yellow  colour,  gathered 
in  at  the  waist  by  a  girdle  of  deeper  colour, 
and  reaching  to  her  feet  which  are  clad  in 
sandals.  Over  her  robe  she,  like  her  father, 
wears  a  light  mantle,  also  of  emerald  green. 

As  the  sound  of  the  first  stripe  of  the 
centurion  catches  her  ear,  she  turns  to  learn 
the  cause,  and  seeing  the  cruel  vitis  descend 
over  the  bare  shoulders  of  one  of  her  own 
sex,  her  gentle  heart  gives  way,  and,  with  the 
faint  cry  already  noticed,  she  nestles  closer 
to  the  side  of  her  protector,  and  in  a  tongue 
peculiar  to  themselves  implores,  '  Father  of 
love,  let  us  go  hence  !  let  us  go  hence ! ' 

'  In  good  time,  joy  of  my  soul,  but  for  the 
moment  we  must  keep  still  or  they  may  strike 
us  also.' 

The  idea  seems  so  awful  to  the  angelic 
child  that  she  entwines  her  arm  in  his  and 
buries  her  head  in  the  folds  of  his  mantle. 
But  soon  she  summons  up  courage,  and  rely- 
ing on  that  firm  arm  for  support  utters  not 
another  word. 

Whilst  yet  the  red  marks  glow  on  the  backs 


22  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

of  the  ofTending  natives,  and  whilst  the  stern 
soldier  looks  on  with  contemptuous  severity, 
a  new  scene  begijis  in  wliich  Briton  and  Eoman 
alike  take  eager  part. 

The  trumpets  ring  out  sharp  and  shrill, 
the  clarions  bray,  the  cymbals  clash  from  one 
end  to  the  other  of  the  immense  concourse. 
In  time  the  human  voices  take  up  the  strain. 
The  voices  shout  in  chorus  to  the  trumpets, 
in  shrieks  to  the  clarions,  in  laughter  to  the 
cymbals. 

An  officer  in  authority  by  the  side  of  Julius 
Severn s,  the  central  figure  of  the  scene,  waves 
aloft  a  white  emblem,  the  starting-flag ;  the 
musical  instruments  and  voices  cease  their 
clamour,  and  through  the  ranks,  everywhere, 
the  lips  of  a  hundred  centurions  ring  out  the 
words  : 

'  Sit  down  !     Sit  down  ! ' 
Severus  himself,  who  has   been   standing 
and  eagerly  viewing  the  multitude  before  him, 
is  the  first  to  obey.     He  resumes  with  severe 
dignity  his  vice-imperial  throne. 

And  now  all  the  throng  is  silent  as  the 
grave.  So  solid  is  every  figure,  every  stan- 
dard, every  spear,  it  is  as  if  the  circus ,  had 


VIVAT   FIDELIS  !  23 

been  stricken  into  a  vast  petrified  sepulchre 
of  men,  women,  and  arms. 

A  moment  of  repose  and  tlie  officer  near  to 
Severiis,  'the  Mappa,' lowers  the  white  signal 
to  indicate  that  something  is  about  to  be  done. 

Solemnly  and  with  imposing  ceremony- 
there  emerges  from  the  gateway  of  the  arena 
on  the  extreme  right  of  the  throne  a  chariot, 
hitherto  concealed  by  a  magnificent  awning 
or  tent,  extending  far  along  the  road  to  the 
camp  from  the  gateway.  The  chariot  is  of 
golden  splendour,  and  soon  to  it  fifty  noble 
horses  are  attached  in  twenty-five  pairs,  while 
the  same  number,  also  in  pairs,  follow  behind 
it.  By  each  pair  of  horses  stands  a  centurion. 
Across  his  breast,  over  his  armour,  a  broad 
belt  carries  a  long  sword  on  his  left  side. 
From  his  girdle  on  his  right  side  is  suspended 
a  short  sword  or  dagger  two  spans  long.  His 
body  armour  reaches  to  his  knees,  leaving 
exposed  below  the  powerful  limbs  and  strongly 
sandalled  feet.  His  left  hand  rests  on  the 
handle  of  the  long  sword ;  his  right  grasps 
the  vitis,  or  rod,  which  is  peculiar  to  the  rank 
pf  a  centurion. 


*24  THE   SON   OP   A   STAR 

A  soldier  more  thoroughly  ready  for  victory 
or  death  it  were  indeed  hard  to  find. 

The  rapidity  with  which  these  active  men 
take  their  places  on  the  left  of  the  pairs  of 
horses  they  have  to  govern  is  in  itself  a  marvel 
of  mechanical  life.  The  horses  and  men  are 
ready  to  move  at  a  word. 

Men  and  horses  form  three  long  lines,  each 
straight  as  an  arrow. 

Severus  nods  approval,  and  '  when  Sevenis 
approves  all  men  may  be  satisfied.'  So  runs 
the  saying  from  lip  to  lip,  respecting  the 
man  who  takes  his  name  from  his  nature, 
Julius  the  Severe. 

Not  a  bridle,  not  a  halter,  is  fitted  to  the 
finely  trained  horses  which  draw  or  follow  the 
chariot ;  a  light  leathern  collar  chastened  with 
silver  encircles  their  stately  necks,  and  on 
each  side  from  it  a  silver  cord  acting  as  a 
trace  connects  one  horse  to  the  other  and 
the  leaders  to  the  chariot ;  the  vitis  and  the 
voice  of  each  master  are  alone  sufl^cient  to 
lead  these  brave  and  intelligent  animals  any- 
where, to  sport,  to  fight,  to  triumph,  to  death. 

The  eyes  of  the  horses  follow  those  of  their 
masters,  who,  bare-headed,  move   on  in  one 


VIVAT   FIDELIS!  25 

living  and  unbroken  form,  one  mechanism, 
one  movement,  one  mind. 

The  savage  Briton,  still  writhing  under  his 
punishment,  cannot  withhold  his  admiration. 

'  Oh  Throth  the  everlasting,'  he  mutters 
to  himself,  'why  lettest  thou  these  brazen 
heads  learn  to  control,  by  magic,  the  noblest 
servant  thou  hast  created  for  those  who  serve 
thee  ? ' 

The  chariot  so  magnificently  horsed  and 
tended  is  strangely  occupied. 

It  is  a  chariot  of  the  true  Eoman  style, 
but  somewhat  larger  than  those  in  common 
use.  It  is  borne  on  two  low  wheels,  is 
entered  from  behind,  and  is  rounded  in  front 
in  order  to  afford  convenient  space  for  the 
driver. 

But  this  time  no  driver  is  needed,  and 
none  is  there. 

In  the  centre  of  the  floor  of  the  chariot, 
upright  as  a  dart,  immovable,  his  left  hand 
resting  on  his  sword-handle,  his  right  hand 
holding  the  vitis,  stands  another  centurion,  in 
each  and  every  respect  like  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  horses,  except  that  he  is  more  majestic 


26  THE   SON    OF    A   STAR 

than  any  of  them,  that  his  head  is  bare,  and 
that  from  his  left  shoulder  a  sagum,  or  mili- 
tary cloak,  falls  gracefully  on  his  left  side. 

To  him  this  day  is  the  event  of  his  life ; 
for  to  his  especial  honour  this  festival  of  gods 
and  men  is  devoted. 

And,  posed  like  a  pillar  of  the  State,  he 
claims  the  honour  naturally,  as  an  honour 
rightfully  and  worthily  won. 

He  is  not,  however,  alone  in  his  splendour. 
At  his  feet,  her  back  resting  against  the  fore 
part  of  the  chariot,  in  the  graceful  curve  of 
it,  there  sits  a  female  figure.  Is  she  a  child, 
a  girl,  a  woman? 

Let  it  be  assumed  that  she  is  a  woman,  but 
very  young. 

Her  rich  black  hair  is  trimmed  into  the 
shape  of  a  helmet.  It  is  a  crest  overhanging 
a  brow  beneath  which  the  eyes  of  an  eastern 
face,  eyes  of  darkened  fire,  sparkle  hke  gems  in 
a  cave.  She  is  clothed  in  the  stola  or  woman's 
toga,  difiering  from  the  Eoman  male  toga  in 
that  its  edfjes  are  fringed.  The  stola  is  of  the 
purest  white,  the  stola  of  the  festival,  hke 
the  surplice  of  a  priest,  except  that  a  light 
but  flowing  girdle  somewhat  tightens  it  to  her 


VIVAT   FIDELIS  !  27 

body.      Her  feet  are  clad  in  white  slippers, 
which  complete  her  attire. 

In  her  right  hand  this  companion  of  the 
mighty  centurion  bears  a  mystical  emblem 
dedicated  to  Apollo.  This  banner  she  holds 
aloft  by  a  white  wand.  It  is  round  hke  the 
sun,  and  on  its  face,  on  each  side,  bears  the 
radiant  image  of  that  luminary  in  rays  of 
gold  on  a  surface  of  red.  In  its  centre  are 
three  letters,  in  the  Greek  character,  the 
sacred  symbol,  meaning  that  the  god  has  an 
existence  or  being,  and  that  all  the  children 
of  men,  and  all  created  beings,  are  animated 
by  his  light  and  his  life. 

As  the  last  pair  of  horses  are  attached  to 
the  chariot,  and  as  the  cortege  begins  to  move 
in  procession  round  the  course,  the  deeply 
suppressed  silence  bursts  forth  into  tumult. 
Three  times  round  the  course  the  cortege 
slowly  passes,  and  eacli  time  with  increasing 
excitement.  In  the  stir  it  is  hard  to  view 
calmly  the  hero  of  the  hour  or  his  companion, 
but  by  patient  waiting  they  are  revealed. 

He  is  a  soldier  of  soldiers.  He  stands  hke 
a  rock  in  a  rajyinc^  sea  of  life,  unmoved  and 
unmoveable,  and  his  manner  is  followed  by  his 


28  THE    SON    OF    A   STAR 

companion  with  equal  serenity.  The  cold 
piercing  glance  of  Severus  touches  neither  of 
them,  nor  the  scream  of  the  virago,  nor  the 
gestures  of  the  three  Roman  friends  who  discuss 
the  sight. 

'  He  bears  himself,'  observes  Vibullius, '  as 
if  he  were  going  into  battle.' 

'Nay,'  suggests  the  classical  Fabius,  'he 
goes  as  if  he  were  about  to  meet  the  Council 
of  Minds  in  the  Heavens  of  the  illustrious 
dead.' 

'  Or,'  put  in  the  much  married  Tinnius, 
'  as  if  he  were  about  to  face  his  wife.' 

If  these  were  tests  of  merit,  and  if  he  con- 
cerning whom  they  were  spoken  were  bent  on 
proving  them  as  such,  he  did  indeed  win  all 
the  praise  he  earned. 

'  A  fig  for  the  Council  of  Minds  and  the 
native  Tinua  of  Tinnius ;  a  fig  for  the  man  in 
the  chariot  and  all  his  fame;  the  woman,  the 
woman  for  me  ! '  ejaculated  Vibullius.  'She  is 
worth  twenty  of  the  man,  she  is  a  centurion 
of  a  woman  and  one  in  a  thousand.  But 
who,  my  hen-pecked,  rubicund  Tinnius,  who, 
by  Venus  and  the  mother  of  the  gods,  is  she  ?  ' 

The   excited  Tinnius  is  too  intent  at  the. 


VIVAT    FIDELIS!  29 

moment  to  answer  this  eager  and  natural 
question,  and  before  it  can  be  repeated  a  new 
event  has  occurred  which  seizes  the  attention 
of  all  who  are  near  at  hand  and,  in  some 
degree,  of  the  spectators  generally,  including 
the  keen-eyed  Severn s. 

As  the  chariot  passes  for  the  third  time 
the  place  where  the  stranger  man  and  his 
child  are  seated  the  bearer  of  the  sacred  em- 
blem in  the  chariot  turns,  by  accident,  her  face 
towards  them. 

It  is  the  merest  accident,  the  merest 
glance,  a  glance  on  strangers  of  strangers  to 
her! 

What  is  there  in  a  glance  ?  We  bring  a 
loadstone  near  to  a  particle  of  steel,  a  sus- 
pended needle  :  the  point  of  the  needle  may 
fly  to  the  magnet ;  ah  no !  it  flies  from  it. 
Why  ? 

The  puzzle  is  but  partially  solved,  so  is  the 
puzzle  of  a  glance.  The  glance  may  be  love  ; 
ah,  no  !  it  may  be  hate.  It  may  be  trust, 
or  courage ;  ah  no !  it  may  be  distrust  or 
awe  ;  it  may  be  surprise  or  wonder. 

In  this  case,  as  the  dark  eyes  of  the  woman 
in  the  chariot  receive,  through  the  distance, 


30  THE   SON   OF    A    STAR 

the  glances  from  the  blue  eyes  of  those  strangers 
they  excite  in  her  a  double  impression. 

The  eyes  of  the  angelic  child  excite  wonder, 
intense  and  startling  !  While  the  eyes  of  the 
protector  of  the  child  excite  awe ;  for  the 
first  time  in  all  her  life,  awe  ;  awe,  sudden 
and  incomprehensible. 

The  emblem  of  Apollo  falls  on  the  knees  of 
its  bearer. 

'  Apollo  goes  down  in  the  noontide  of  his 
glory,'  observes  Fabius,  '  'tis  a  bad  omen.' 

And,  such  is  the  influence  of  the  omen  on 
the  minds  of  the  Eoman  people,  that  there  is 
not  a  Roman  there,  from  the  camp  servant 
to  the  vice- imperial  Severus,  who  does  not 
feel  the  vibration,  with  one  exception. 

The  exception  is  the  centurion  of  the  ch  ariot. 
He,  with  his  eyes  fixed  in  space,  heeds  not, 
and,  gathering  resolution  from  his  iron  will, 
the  bearer  of  the  emblem,  raising  her  hand  to 
put  back  a  wandering  lock  of  hair  which  has 
fallen  over  her  brow,  lifts  up  the  banner  again, 
in  graceful  movement,  as  if  the  whole  had  been 
a  mere  natural  act  on  her  part,  an  act  intended 
and  harmonious  with  her  duty. 

The  skilful  diversion  is  rewarded  with  a 


VIYAT   FIDELIS  !  31 

new  burst  of  applause,  which,  coming  after  a 
pause  of  silence,  is  a  proof  of  success.  Eome 
is  itself  again !  And  now  once  more  the 
inquisitive  Vibullius  returns  to  his  speculation. 
Who  is  this  woman  of  women,  and  who  is  this 
man  of  men  ?  Who  are  they  both  that  they 
should  excite  so  much  admiration  ?  They  are 
not  patricians  he  knows,  why  then  are  they 
so  honoured  ? 

There  is  vanity,  as  usual,  in  the  thought 
which  fills  Vibullius.  '  Here  am  I,'  it  says 
silently,  '  I  Vibullius,  one  of  the  most  ancient 
of  the  great  families  of  Eome,  before  whom 
that  Julius  Severus  is  a  mere  mushroom,  and 
the  Emperor  himself  but  a  plant  of  a  single 
season  at  the  best.  Here  am  I,  unknown 
and  unhonoured,  while  these  two  plebs  of 
plebs,  and  one  of  them  an  eastern  mockery, 
a  slave  it  may  be,  or  a  creature  of  Severus, 
are  treated  like  gods  !  I  must  know  who  and 
what  they  are.' 

His  curiosity  has  not  long  to  wait,  for  ere 
he  can  return  to  the  task  of  questioning  the 
Eed-beard,  the  chariot  stops  before  the  seat  of 
Severus  ;  the  twenty-five  pairs  of  the  foremost 
horses  are  detached  from  it  and  are  moved 


32  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

forward  on  the  course,  to  stand  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  cliariot ;  and,  the  slirill  blast 
of  the  trumpet  from  the  back  of  the  dais  is 
calling  the  lookers-on  once  more  to  silence. 

Complete  order  restored,  Severus  descends 
from  his  throne,  and  stepping  forward  to  the 
edge  of  the  dais  close  to  which  the  chariot 
is  drawn,  rests  his  right  foot  on  the  edge  of 
the  chariot  and  places,  amidst  a  storm  of 
trumpets,  clarions,  cymbals,  and  voices,  a 
chaplet  of  laurel  on  the  head  of  the  centurion. 

In  a  moment  all  is  still,  as  Severus  returns 
to  his  seat. 

At  the  sign  of  the  commander,  the  Public 
Orator,  the  renowned  Saserna,  whose  voice 
could  shake  the  camp,  stands  forth.  In  his 
left  hand  he  bears  a  scroll,  in  his  right  hand  a 
spear  held  firmly  like  a  stafi'. 

What  he  has  to  declare  is  again  heralded 
by  the  voice  of  the  trumpet,  from  which  he 
seems,  by  some  clever  art,  to  attune  his  own 
voice  as  musicians  set  their  lutes  to  a  tuninsr- 
fork,  so  that  the  note  of  the  trumpet  and  the 
voice  of  Saserna  hold  on  the  sound  into 
articulate  words  which  all  can  hear.     And  so. 


VJVAT   FIDELIS  !  33 

in   the  language  first  of  Eome  and  then    of 
Britain,  he  dehvers  his  message  : — 

'  The  army,  Eome,  and  tlie  Empero]-, 
through  Juhus  Severus,  Governor  of  Sikiria 
in  Britain,  confer  a  crown  of  honour  on 
Fidehs  of  Cgesarea,  a  centurion,  who  after 
eight  decades  of  noble  service,  devoted  to 
the  Gods,  to  Eome,  to  Csesar,  and  to  Glory, 
reaches  his  hundredth  year  of  Life.' 

'  Vivat  Fidelis ! ' 


VOL.    I. 


34  THE   SOX    OF   A   STAR 


CHAPTER  III. 

MAN     AND     BEAST. 

'  ViVAT  FiDELis !  Vivat  Fidelis  ! '  riiif^s  a«?ain 
and  again,  and  still  the  centurion  of  a  hundred 
years  is  unmoved  in  his  place.  But  enthu- 
siasm, Hke  all  else  that  is  human,  must  die, 
and  in  time  this  great  demonstration  passes 
into  silence.  The  horses  before  and  behind  the 
triumphal  chariot  are  separated  in  pairs  and 
led  away,  until  one  pair  alone  remains  to  draw 
the  chariot  and  those  that  are  in  it  towards 
the  vestibule  from  which  it  first  emerged  into 
the  public  view. 

As  the  last  sign  of  the  centurion  disap- 
pears Severus  and  those  around  him  retire 
for  an  interval  into  a  tent  at  the  back  of  the 
dais  over  which  the  Roman  standard  proudly 
floats. 

And  now,  waiting  for  the  next  event,  the 
great  assembly  reposes. 


MAN   AND    BEAST  35 

Meantime  the  armed  attendants  clear  the 
arena,  and  prepare  for  some  momentous  and 
thrilhng  spectacle. 

The  faces  of  the  masses  begin  to  resume 
their  respective  characteristics  :  the  Eoman 
faces  are  eager  ;  the  Britannic  are  savage ; 
the  Jewish — for  there  is  a  fair  sprinkling  of 
Jewish  blood  in  the  audience — solemn  and  sad. 

Severus  is  again  in  his  place,  the  signal 
is  given  and  the  procession  of  the  gods  once 
more  makes  its  round. 

*  What  next  have  they  in  store  for  us  ? ' 
the  comrades  of  Tinnius  Eufus  ask  eagerly  and 
with  one  voice. 

'  A  battle,  a  battle  !  A  battle  between 
wolves,  a  bear  and  a  boy !' 

*  Say  rather  between  wolves,  a  fiend  of 
darkness,  and  an  angel  of  hght,'  sighs  one  who 
sits  near,  and  hears  the  question  and  answer 
it  has  evoked. 

The  speaker  speaks  in  the  Eoman  tongue 
but  with  a  foreign  accent ;  and,  though  his 
words  are  clearly  understood,  they  come  forth 
with  so  much  emotion  they  almost  choke  hmi 
on  their  way. 

'  Judaicus,  a  Jew,'  whispers  Tinnius.     '  It 

D  2 


36  THE   SON    OF    A   STAR 

is  one  of  his  tribe  that  is  about  to  compete  in 
the  arena.' 

'  A  Jew  in  Britain  ! '  ejaculates  VibuUius  in 
an  undertone.  '  Turn  wherever  we  may  and 
these  dogs  are  to  be  found.  Jews  in  Britain, 
indeed  I ' 

'  I  tell  you,'  continues  Tinnius,  leading  his 
friends  a  little  higher  up  the  balconies,  '  there 
are  thousands  of  them,  and  here  they  flock 
most ;  for,  after  the  taking  of  their  holy  city, 
(luring  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  they  wan- 
dered everywhere,  and  in  tliese  Silurian 
mountains  and  caves  met  with  a  native  race 
which  took  to  tliem  so  kindly  that  they  have 
become  quite  numerous  here,  and,  from  the 
coasts  about,  have  opened  trade  with  the 
riiocnicians  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  It  is  the  policy 
of  Severus,  generally,  to  be  at  peace  with  tlie 
creatures,  for  they  roll  in  money,  and,  too  ob- 
stinate for  deep  friendship,  are  hard  to  please.' 

'  And  who  is  this  one  of  their  race  who  is 
going  to  give  us  a  treat  of  his  metal  ?  '  asks 
Fabius.  '  Can  they  hght  as  well  as  they  can 
barter  ? ' 

'  You  shall  see.  This  is  one  of  tliem  :  a 
youth   whom    Fidelis  the  centurion    brought 


«)  — 


MAX    AND    BEAST  6  I 

with  him  from  Ciesarea,  a  slave  whom  he  had 
freed  some  think,  but  not  all ! ' 

'  I  dare  say  not,  thou  winking  ferret,'  breaks 
in  Vibullius  ;  '  but  why  should  he  be  called 
into  the  arena  if  he  be,  as  thou  suggestest, 
the  centurion's  flesh  and  blood  ?  What  hath 
he  done  that  he  should  make  sport  for  wolves 
and  savages  ?  ' 

'  He  hath  passions  during  which  his  tongue 
hath  declared  his  hatred  of  Rome.  He  hath 
refused  to  ofler  incense  to  Cassar,  or  even  to 
lay  incense  on  the  altar  of  Ceres  when  her. 
richest  harvest  in  Britain,  in  the  memory  of 
man,  called  for  her  festival.' 

'  But  there  he  comes.  Judge  for  your- 
selves ! ' 

'  He  comes  as  anything  but  a  slave.  By 
Apollo,  he  comes  like  a  rising  sun  ! '  exclaims 
Fabius,  as  the  youth  of  whom  they  speak  is 
led  before  the  august  presence  of  the  vice- 
Emperor. 

'  A  rebelhous  Syrian,'  murmurs  the  Eed 
Beard.'  I  would  I  could  wring  his  stiff  neck 
as  I  liked  !' 

'  A  noble  child,  who  fears  no  hand  of  man 
and  obeys  none  but  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,' 


38  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

communes  the  Jewish  sympatliiscr  who  spoke 
a  short  time  before.  '  May  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  be  with  him,  as 
he  promised  to  our  forefathers  Abraham  and 
his  seed  for  ever.     Amen.' 

The  prayer  of  this  Israehte — '  Aaron  of  the 
Altar '  by  name  amongst  his  own,  '  Porcus ' 
a  pig,  amongst  the  Eoman  people — is  echoed 
silently  by  many  of  his  race  who  in  various 
disguises  are  present. 

He,  Aaron,  being  a  freedman,  has  no  oc- 
casion for  disguise ;  he  is  reputed  to  be  so  rich 
that  Severus  himself  is  oftentimes  his  debtor. 
But  even  he  has  to  be  careful  of  his  words 
and  acts  for  the  sake  of  his  people,  whom  it  is 
his  destiny  to  govern  in  silent  government.  He 
is  their  father ;  he  reads  to  them  in  secret 
the  sacred  law ;  he  proves  and  confirms  them 
in  their  faith  ;  he  settles  tlieir  differences ;  he 
marries  their  young  people  according  to  an- 
cient rite  ;  he  keeps  before  them  the  name 
and  word  and  promise  of  the  Mighty  One  of 
Israel,  and  teaches  them,  in  that  holy  name, 
to  believe  that  though  they  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  he,  the  Mighty 
One,  is  with  them  ;  that  his  rod  and  staff  shall 


M^N   AND    BEAST  39 

guide  them  ;  that  his  kingdom  is  at  hand;  and 
that  the  Roman  power  shall  have  no  permanent 
hold  on  the  children  of  Zion. 

And  still,  wise  as  the  serpent,  gentle  as 
the  dove,  he  advises  them  to  pay  homage  unto 
Ca3sar,  and  even  lay  incense  on  the  pagan  altars, 
lest  for  their  unnecessary  obstinacy,  they  perish 
by  fire,  cross,  or  sword. 

He  is  indeed  wise,  and  his  people  know 
him  as  if  he  were  the  chief  of  chief  Rabbis  in 
this  foreign,  distant,  isolated  land. 

He  pronounces  his  prayer,  for  the  youth 
before  the  dai's,  with  his  eyes  bent  to  the  earth  ; 
but  the  sound  of  the  first  clarion  makes  him 
raise  them  and  cast  them  on  the  type  of  his 
race,  who  so  proudly  and  defiantly  stands 
forth  for  fate. 

'  Oh,  brave  but  foolish  child  !'  he  mentally 
laments,  '  oh,  bold  but  reckless  Simeon  of  my 
people !  Why  didst  thou  not  bend  in  body 
to  these  tyrants  ?  Why  didst  thou  not  take 
heed  to  thy  ways,  and  offend  not  with  thy 
tongue  ?  Why  didst  thou  refuse  counsel  of 
him  whose  royal  blood  is  in  thy  veins ?  "Be 
not  righteous  overmuch,  neither  make  thyself 
overwise ! "     Why    shouldest    thou     destroy 


40  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

tliyself  ?     Why  shouldest  thou  die  before  thy 
time  ? ' 

Meanwliile,  lie  who  is  thus  commented  on 
by  Aaron  of  the  Altar  and  a  hundred  men  of 
liis  race,  remains  standing  in  simple  majesty. 
Brouglit  out  for  the  sport  of  a  savage  multitude, 
his  young  life  at  stake,  he  of  all  seems  most 
exalted  and  commanding.  Severus  on  high,  in 
his  viceregal  seat,  clad  in  imperial  robe,  the 
white  toga  with  purple  border,  surrounded  by 
his  six  lictors  bearing  their  fasces  or  rods,  the 
standard  of  the  Roman  empire  overshadowing 
him,  and  the  sword,  the  spear,  and  saddle  of 
Roman  knighthood  at  his  feet,  even  he  seems 
to  feel  the  common  spell  of  admiration,  as  bend- 
ing down  to  his  nearest  attendant  he  enquires  : 
'  Of  what  doth  this  contest  consist  ?  ' 
'  The  youth,  a  Jew,  most  noble  Severus, 
who  stands  before  you  armed  with  the  short 
sword  which  he  holds  in  his  left  hand,  but 
which  he  uses  with  either  hand  with  equal 
dexterity,  is  to  be  turned  into  the  small  arena, 
surrounded  by  the  deep  pit,  in  company  with 
the  Numidian  bear  belonf]jin"'  to  the  cen- 
turion  Milo  and  six  famishing  wolves.  The 
bear,  armed  with  a  huge  club  for  a  weapon,  is 


MAN    AND    BE. VST  41 

to  engage  the  wolves  with  the  Jew,  and,  if  they 
two  despatch  the  wolves,  they  are  themselves 
to  fio-ht  with  club  and  sword  till  one  is  killed. 
The  victor  is  then  to  be  at  the  disposal  of  the 
people.' 

'  It  is  a  new  sport,'  observed  Severus  in  a 
tone  and  manner  implying  that  this  is  the  first 
he  has  heard  respecting  the  combat  or  the 
combatants. 

And  still  Simeon  the  Jew  stands  as  a 
model  of  masculine  beauty  and  godlike  life. 

He  is  five  feet  nine  inches  in  height,  and 
in  body  and  limb  of  fine  prcjportion.  He 
wears  on  his  body  a  closely  fitting  leathern 
jerkin,  with  a  light  tunic  suspended  from  it 
and  reaching  to  the  knees.  The  tunic  is  held 
up  by  a  red  sash,  which  fits  like  a  belt  and 
falls  negligently  in  two  loose  ends  or  tassels 
on  his  left  side.  His  arms,  excessively  power- 
ful, but  almost  white  in  colour  and  shaped 
like  those  of  a  woman  in  respect  to  symmetry 
and  outline,  are  entirely  free  ;  his  lower  Hmbs, 
equally  well  formed  and  strong,  are  girt  only 
in  a  light  sandal,  the  thong  of  which  is  fanci 
fully  twisted  around  the  ankle  and  a  short 
distance  up  the  leg. 


42  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

Ilis  head  is  uncovered,  except  for  its  rich 
raven  hair  which  hangs  in  clusters  at  his 
hack  down  to  his  shoulder-blades,  and  is  parted 
from  his  forehead  over  the  exact  centre  of 
the  crown  of  the  head.  His  face,  of  striking 
cast,  with  pointed  chin,  aquiline  nose,  piercing 
dark  eyes,  long  arched  dark  eyebrows  meeting 
at  the  centre,  and  a  broad  though  retreating 
forehead,  is  the  perfected  image  of  the  percep- 
tive, ready,  fearless,  resolute,  reckless  spirit 
that  animates  the  whole  frame  of  the  man 
with  living  fire.  On  him,  thus  standing  before 
the  Eoman  chief,  undaunted  and  bright  of 
countenance,  the  Eritisli  woman,  still  smarting 
from  the  vitis,  looks  with  more  of  admiration 
than  prudence,  a  state  suddenly  checked  by 
the  aspect  and  growl  of  her  jealous  lord,  who, 
tolerating  from  her  no  admiration  that  is  not 
expended  on  his  own  uncouth  self,  shows  his 
teeth  dangerously. 

The  trumpet  proclaims  a  new  arrival  and 
a  new  step  in  the  coming  drama. 

Along  the  grand  path  of  the  circus,  towards 
the  ring  facing  the  dais,  Milo  the  centurion 
leads,  by  a  light  chain,  the  second  combatant, 
the  Numidian  bear. 


MAN   AND    BEAST  43 

The  audience,  from  Severus  to  the  lowest 
slave,  is  startled  with  delight  or  with  wonder. 
Whether  it  be  really  a  bear  or  a  man  disguised 
as  a  bear  is  the  puzzle. 

The  excitement  is  such  that  wagers  begin 
to  be  laid  on  the  point. 

*  I  wager  a  flagon  of  red  wine  it  is  a  bear,' 
exclaims  the  excited  VibuUius.  'See  thou  its 
head,  its  ears,  its  big  eyes,  its  huge  frame  ?  ' 

'  I  take  the  wager  willingly,'  returns  the 
calmer  Fabius,  '  and  to-night  we  Avill  drink  it 
with  song  and  story.  I  stand  by  the  feet,  the 
hands,  the  limbs,  which,  covered  with  bear 
hide  though  they  be,  are  human.  Besides, 
seest  thou  not  the  height  of  the  beast  ?  No 
bear  standeth  that  height,  a  head  or  more 
above  the  handsome  Jew,  who  is  of  good  pro- 
portion ;  his  walk  also  is  tliat  of  a  man,  and 
mark  how  he  holds  that  fearful  club  as  if  it 
were  a  javehn  or  a  spear.  A  bear  would  hug 
the  thing  close  to  its  body,  not  push  it  forth 
at  arms'  length  like  that.' 

At  this  moment  all  the  mystery  vanishes. 
By  a  jerk  of  his  body  the  NuTnidian  bear 
throws  back  the  head-piece  of  the  animal  as  if 
it  were  a  hood,  and  stands  declared  a  man,  with 


44  THE   SOX    OF   A    STAR 

a  liunian  liead  and  face  stained  dark  as  the 
hairy  skin  wliich  clothes  his  body. 

He  is  indeed  a  sight  of  terror.  His  own 
hair  stands  erect  ;  his  large  fierce  eyes  roll 
in  fury  from  side  to  side ;  his  nostrils  dilate ; 
his  red  lips  are  curled  apart,  showing  rows 
of  large  teeth  white  as  snow  and  round  and 
regular  as  tliose  of  any  beast  of  the  field  ;  his 
ears,  naturally  large,  he  moves  at  will ;  while 
by  an  action  of  the  muscle  of  the  head  and 
forehead  he  possesses  the  power  of  drawing 
down  his  hair  until  it  seems  to  touch  his  eye- 
brows and  then  of  lifting  it  back  until  all  the 
fore  part  of  his  head  looks  actually  bald. 

To  the  infinite  dehght  of  the  spectators 
before  whom  he  stands,  he  <j!:oes  throuo'h  these 
gestures  at  the  command  of  his  master,  until 
weary  of  the  sight  they  crave  for  some  new 
pastime. 

In  form  the  creature  is  massive,  yet  well 
sliapen  ;  his  body  is  finely  proportioned,  his 
limbs,  as  far  as  can  be  judged  of  them  covered 
as  they  are  with  bear-skin,  are  large,  strong, 
and  lissom  ;  the  nails  of  his  fingers  and  toes 
are  long  and  claw-like. 

As  to  costume  he  wears  but  the  one  gar- 


MAN   AND   BEAST  46 

ment,  the  veritable  skin  of  a  liiicre  black  bear. 
His  arms  are  thrust  through  the  skin  in  which 
the  upper  limbs  of  the  original  animal  played  : 
his  legs  are  thrust  through  the  similar  parts 
of  the  hinder  limbs.  Over  the  fore  part  of  the 
body  the  skin  is  lashed  with  leathern  thongs. 
As  already  seen,  the  bear's  head  is  now  thrown 
back  like  a  hood,  while  a  small  bushy  tail  at 
the  nether  extremity  forms  a  ludicrous  protu- 
berance which  wags  with  every  movement, 
and  excites  the  wildest  laufjhter  when  nothin^r 
serious  intervenes  to  change  the  general 
humour. 

At  another  order  from  his  master  the 
human  monster  exhibits  his  prowess  with  his 
club,  a  weapon  which  reaches  to  the  height  of 
his  chin,  and  which,  thick  as  his  own  thick  arm 
at  its  further  end,  tapers  down  towards  its 
handle  in  even  and  regular  form.  Made  of  a 
hard  dark  wood,  like  sohd  oak,  the  weight  of 
this  weapon  is  amazing,  yet  the  creature  wields 
it  as  if  it  were  a  reed.  Loosened,  by  Milo,  from 
his  chain,  he  steps  backward  a  few  paces  further 
from  Severus,  and,  after  kneeling  on  one  knee 
in  reverence,  rises,  and  by  an  upward  jerk 
casts  the  club  straight  into  the  air  many  feet, 


4G  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

like  a  dart,  and  waiting  for  its  fall,  which 
seems  to  be  directed,  inevitably,  towards  the 
top  of  his  own  head,  catches  it  by  its  handle 
as  it  falls  before  him,  ere  it  touches  the 
ground  ;  then,  whirling  it  fiercely  above  his 
head,  he  flings  it  from  him  in  a  long  curve, 
full  twenty  yards,  and  rushing  after  it  catches 
it  again  before  it  falls. 

The  multitude  howl  with  delight,  and 
when,  in  another  new  feat,  the  monster  seizes 
the  handle  of  the  club  with  both  hands,  spins 
it  round  and  round,  until  by  the  momentum 
it  carries  his  body  with  it  with  such  rapidity 
that  he  and  it  resemble  a  wheel — himself  the 
centre  and  the  thick  end  of  the  club  the 
circumference — the  fury  mounts  to  delirium  ; 
the  cymbals  strike  in,  the  clarions  bray,  and 
the  trumpets  ring  in  wild  and  indescribable 
confusion. 

With  perfect  ease  and  with  marked  grace 
he  makes  the  revolving  wheel  stop,  and  order 
is  restored. 

And  now  the  combatants  are  placed  face 
to  face  before  Severus,  ten  paces  apart,  ready 
at  a  sign  from  the  Mappa  to  begin  the  com- 
bat which  they  have  to  face. 


MAN    AND    BEAST  47 

At  the  sign  from  the  Mappa,  a  cage  of  a 
curious  construction  winds  along  the  grand 
path.  It  is  an  iron  cage  in  which  six  famish- 
ing wolves  are  confined.  The  noise  from 
them  alone  is  sickening,  and  the  expression  of 
their  fierce  despair,  as  they  thrust  their  muzzles 
and  their  paws  through  the  bars  of  the  cage, 
is  appalling  to  witness. 

Severus  himself  affects  not  to  see  them  ; 
the  Mappa  turns  away  as  if  about  to  give  a 
direction  to  some  one  in  the  rear  of  him  ; 
Tinnius  and  his  friends  stop  their  ears,  and  the 
Romans  generally  are  not  particularly  pleased. 
But  the  native  Britons  rejoice.  The  wolf  is 
their  native  natural  enemy.  To  hunt  the 
beast,  to  kill  him,  to  carry  his  head  to  the 
chief,  and  to  receive  the  reward  for  the  same 
is  the  perfection  of  sport. 

No  better  game  could  the  Roman  tyrants 
have  selected  for  the  children  of  Britain  than 
the  killing  of  wolves  by  man.  Two  men  to 
six  wolves  !     It  is  beyond  admiration. 

The  small  arena  or  ring  is  two  hundred 
yards  in  circumference.  It  is  surrounded  by 
a  deep  pit  fifteen  feet  wide,  from  the  edge  of 
which,  and  pointing  to  the  centre,  a  few  inches 


48  THE   SON   OF   A   STAE 

apart,  stand  out  a  double  row  of  pikes,  forming 
a  fence  of  iron  palisade  and  rendering  escape 
from  the  arena  impossible,  or  as  it  would  seem 
impossible.  And  yet  every  one  can  see  any 
sport  going  on  within  the  circle. 

A  narrow  bridge  of  earth,  just  wide  enougli 
to  allow  for  the  passage  of  the  cage,  separates 
the  small  arena  from  the  dais.  The  two  human 
victims  are  to  be  led  into  the  centre  of  this  ring. 
They  are  to  be  followed  by  the  cage  of  wolves. 
The  cage  is  to  make,  slowly,  the  complete 
circuit  within  the  circle,  and  brought  partly 
out  of  the  narrow  gateway  of  the  bridge  is 
to  fill  up  the  passage.  Then  the  back  of  the 
cage  is  to  be  let  down,  and  remaining  as  a 
fence  to  the  bridge,  the  furious  brutes  are  to 
be  allowed  to  leap  into  the  arena  and  kill,  or 
be  killed  by,  their  human  assailants. 

'  Another  wager,  another  flask  of  rich  red 
wine,  if  on  this  savage  island  it  can  be  obtained,' 
cries  Vibullius  ;  '  another  wager,  this  time  on 
the  wolves  and  the  bear ;  an  amphora,  if  you 
like,  an  amphora  ! ' 

'  I  back  willingly  the  young  Jew  against 
all  the  beasts,'  responds  Fabius  gravely.  '  The 
gods  favour  beauty.' 


MAN   AND    BEAST  49 

'  But  not  his  gods  ;  tliey,  'tis  said,  delight 
in  no  man's  beauty.  I  back  the  wolves  and 
the  glorious  bear.' 

'  So  let  it  be  and  let  Tinnius  hold  the 
stakes,  if  he  is  sure  his  wife  will  not  steal 
them  ere  he  joins  us  at  the  settlement.' 

'  No  fear,  no  fear,  my  comrades,'  exclaims 
thedehghted  Eed  Beard.  '  I'll  bury  them  until 
nightfall,  when  we  will  reclaim  them  and  bury 
them  acfain  in  our  own  skins.  Moreover,  we 
shall  have  something  to  talk  about,  for  this 
will  be  a  combat  of  combats,  one,  if  I  mistake 
not,  to  be  remembered  for  ages  in  Britain 
and  related  even  in  Eome.  If  the  men  beat  the 
wolves,  they  are  to  fight  until  one  of  them  falls, 
and  after  that  the  conqueror  is  still  to  be  at 
the  will  of  the  people.' 

And,  such  is  the  barbarous  soul  of  all- 
conquering  Eome,  that  they  to  whom  this 
news  is  conveyed,  they,  sons  of  the  highest 
and  most  accomplished  families  of  tlie  empire, 
they,  men  of  refinement  and  culture,  as 
they  rank  amongst  their  peers,  receive  the 
information  with  the  simple,  cruel,  gratified 
observation : 

'  It  is  good  ! ' 
vor,.  7.  E 


50  THE   SON    OF   A    STAE 


CHAPTEE  IV. 
AVE  Caesar! 

Once  more  the  trumpets  ring  out.  The  two 
human  victims,  for  such  they  are,  are  being 
ied  forth,  the  cage  of  wolves  is  following, 
and  the  multitude  is  raised  to  such  excitement 
that  the  minutes  seem  hours. 

The  Mappa  is  preparing  to  raise  the  signal. 
He  has  attached  it  to  a  cord,  in  order  that  he 
may  draw  it  up  to  the  top  of  a  staff,  that  all 
may  see  it  and  observe  the  moment  when  it 
shall  fall  and  the  wild  beasts  be  set  free  into 
the  ring. 

The  silence  that  precedes  this  final  act 
seems  to  be  felt  by  the  wild  beasts  themselves, 
as  if  they  knew  their  prey  was  at  hand,  and 
their  cravings  were  about  to  be  satisfied. 

The  silence  is  more  distressing  than 
the  clamour  !  But  the  signal  is  rising  and 
suspense  will  soon  cease ! 

The  spell  is  broken,  not  by  the  fall  of  the 


AVE    C^SAR  !  51 

expected  signal,  towards  which  so  many  eyes 
are  turned,  but  by  a  loud  clang  and  noise  in 
the  rear  of  the  dais.  Severus,  who  is  leaning 
forward  eagerly  intent  as  the  rest,  starts  as 
though  he  had  been  struck  in  the  back. 

He  has  not  recovered  his  surprise  when  a 
messenger  approaches  him,  and,  with  knee 
bent  to  the  floor,  presents  to  him  a  missive  or 
despatch.  Severus  breaks  the  seal,  reads  with 
wild  wonder ;  then  speaks  to  the  Mappa,  and 
evidently  issues  some  new  command,  for  that 
important  officer  straightway  raises  his  wand 
as  an  intimation  that  hostilities  must  wait. 

A  moment  more  and  Saserna,  the  Orator, 
after  conference  also  with  Severus,  stands 
before  the  people,  and  with  his  trumpet- 
voice  proclaims  : — 

'  Let  the  combats  be  suspended,  and  the 
sport  remain  as  it  is  until  the  signal  for  it  be 
again  given.  And,  let  no  one  move  from  the 
place  he  occupies  on  penalty  of  death.' 

The  voice  ceases,  the  multitude  composes 
itself  to  a  fearful  suspense,  not  one  daring  even 
to  move  until  Severus,  who,  with  a  sad  and 

e2 


52  TIIK    SON    OF   A    STAR 

liumiliated  expression  on  his  kingly  face,  rises, 
and,  followed  by  his  lictors,  officers  and  stan- 
dard-bearer, retires  from  the  scene  into  the 
pavilion  leading  from  the  dais. 

'  Silence  !  silence  !  silence  !  silence  !  in  the 
four  quarters  of  the  amphitheatre.     Silence  ! ' 

By  an  order  to  the  men  in  cliarge  of  the 
cage  of  wolves,  the  cage  is  drawn  back 
along  the  path  whence  it  came,  and  out  of 
sio^ht  and  hearinfj.  But  the  human  victims 
are  left  near  the  gate  of  the  enclosure,  face  to 
face.  In  time  the  tone  and  temper  of  the  great 
audience  affects  them,  and  they  also  turn  their 
eyes  to  the  dais,  and  join  in  the  common 
wonder. 

At  last  expectation  is  rewarded.  A  band 
of  centurions,  Fidelis  of  a  hundred  years  at 
their  head,  make  their  appearance  on  the  dais, 
and  under  his  direction  form  into  two  lines 
with  a  wide  path  between  their  ranks. 

And  now  through  the  open  space,  on  the. 
way  to  the  seat  of  state,  there  comes  a  new 
])rocession. 

The  maiden  of  the  chariot  and  companion 
of  Fidelis  leads  the  way,  dancing  the  most  ex- 
quisite of  dances  to  the  clashing  of  cymbals 


AVE    C^SAR  !  53 

which  she  holds  above  her  head,  until  she 
reaches  the  front  of  the  throne,  before  which 
she  gracefully  casts  herself  almost  at  full 
length  upon  the  ground. 

She  is  followed  by  a  soldier,  bare-headed, 
in  marching  order,  carrying  his  sword :  a 
man  of  scarcely  middle  age,  fresh,  evidently, 
from  a  long  march,  and  distinguishable  only 
from  the  ordinary  Roman  soldier  by  one  and 
singular  mark  of  distinction. 

At  his  back  a  tall  slave  bears  on  the  staff 
of  a  spear,  over  his  head,  a  diadem  of  gold, 
and  from  time  to  time  whispers  in  his  ear  some 
solemn  injunction. 

They  who  are  near  can  catch  the  words  : — 

'  Remember  that  thou  art  but  a  man.' 

'  By  all  the  gods  ! '  exclaims  the  astonished 
Fabius  to  his  friends,  '  it  is ' 

His  sentence  is  cut  short  by  the  trumpet 
blast  and  voice  of  Saserna  from  the  left  of  the 
throne : — 

'  To  your  knees  all  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren !  Let  every  knee  bend  to  the  earth  to 
Caisar.' 


54  THE    SON    OP    A    STAR 

In  an  instant  tlie  multitude  obeys,  all  but 
the  two  combatants  and  lie  to  whom  the 
homage  is  paid  ;  from  Severus  on  his  right 
hand  to  the  meanest  slave  ;  each  and  all  bend 
to  the  earth  before  this  human  deity. 

The  Emperor  Hadrian  ! 

At  this  solemn  moment  the  three  men 
remaining  erect  form  a  triangle ;  a  Jew,  of 
noble  bearing  and  beauty,  and  a  disfigured 
Slave  of  gigantic  build  form  the  angles  of  its 
base  ;  while  the  Prince  of  all  the  civilised 
world  forms  its  apex. 

There  is  something  fearfully  strange  in  the 
sight  of  a  mighty  mass  of  human  beings  in  one 
fixed  attitude,  and  to  Hadrian,  impressionable 
almost  to  madness,  this  vast  crowd  prostrate 
at  his  feet  is  the  strangest  event  of  his  roman- 
tic life.  He  is  moved  even  to  tears,  and 
clutches  his  sword  as  if  to  find  support. 

His  eyes  fall  on  the  two  extraordinary 
beings  who,  like  himself,  stand  erect  above  the 
prostrate  humanity,  and  his  soul  is  disquieted 
in  a  way  akin  to  fear.  A  strange  thought 
crosses  his  mind  :  '  To  whom  do  all  these 
creatures  bend,  to  me,  or  to  one  of  these 
make-sports ;  to    me,   or  to    that   youth  who 


AVE    CAESAR  !  55 

stands  like  Apollo  ;  or  to  that  giant  who  stands 
like  Hercules  ? '  Then,  as  he  scans  the  face 
and  figure  of  the  youth,  he  trembles.  It  is 
a  face  he  has  never  seen  before,  yet  he  knows 
it :  the  face  turns  as  if  to  give  him  another  view 
of  it.  He  knows  it  better,  and  is  perturbed  the 
more.  The  face  strikes  him  both  with  admira- 
tion and  affection.     It  cannot  be,  but  it  is  : — 

'Would  that  he  were  my  son,'  is  the 
sentiment  which,  unbidden,  rises  in  his  breast. 

It  may  be  merely  the  sigh  of  a  childless 
man.  There  are  such  sighs,  and  this  is  from 
the  heart,  as  they  ever  are. 

He  must  not  wait  now  either  to  philo- 
sophise or  to  lament ;  those  bending  forms 
must  be  set  free.  Already  they  have  been 
constrained  too  long. 

The  Emperor  takes  his  seat,  and  at  a  breath 
from  his  lips  the  word  of  command  follows  : — 

'  It  is  the  will  of  Caasar  that  the  people  rise, 
and  that  the  combat  commence  at  the  proper 
signal.' 

The  order  also  goes  forth  by  signs  tliat  the 
casje  of  wolves  be  recalled. 


56  THE   SON    OF    A    STAR 

Meanwhile,  to  fill  up  the  interval,  the 
Numidian  bear  is  brought  before  the  Emperor, 
and,  at  command  from  Milo,  once  more  goes 
tlirough  his  wondrous  feats  of  skill. 

To  Hadrian  the  whole  scene  is  novel  of 
novel.  Arrived  but  lately  in  Britain,  and 
travelling  by  rapid  marches  since  the  day  of 
his  disembarkation  at  Dola  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Island,  he  has  seen  no  signs  of 
sports,  nor,  indeed,  any  evidences  of  a  civilised 
community.  A  Circus  Maximus  such  as  this 
is  therefore  to  him  a  surprise.  The  modifica- 
tions of  the  plans  of  the  circus,  the  faces  of  the 
people,  the  customs,  are  all  further  novelties 
on  which  for  a  passing  moment  he  is  inclined 
to  dwell. 

'  What, '  asks  he  of  Severus,  who  is  now 
seated  on  his  riglit  hand,  '  what  is  the  nature 
of  the  coming  combat  ?  ' 

In  briefest  terms  the  Vice-Ruler  tells  him 
the  nature  of  it,  and  of  the  two  men  who  are 
to  share  in  it. 

'  And  which,'  he  asks,  '  is  the  most  skil- 
ful ? ' 

'  They  are  of  such  different  bloods,  great 
Prince,'  returns  Severus,  '  I   dare    not  wage. 


AVE    C^SAR 


f 


The  youth,  a  Jew  called  Simeon,  exalted  by  a 
visionary  enthusiasm,  is  filled  with  the  idea 
that,  pre-ordained  by  the  gods,  or  rather  his 
God,  for  great  glory,  he  cannot  be  killed  or 
die,  but,  like  one  of  his  ancestors,  will  be 
received  into  heaven  in  a  chariot  of  fire. 
To  this  he  adds  skill  and  agility  with  the 
short  sword.  The  Numidian,  on  the  other 
hand,  relies  on  his  strength,  the  strength  of 
Hercules  himself.  He  has  never  yet  failed 
to  break  with  that  ponderous  club  every  bone 
in  the  body  of  his  enemy.' 

'Is  he  without  fault  ?  '  asks  Hadrian,  who 
is  quick  to  feel  general  impressions  of  faults 
which  others  do  not  perceive,  a  faculty  on 
which  he  greatly  prides  himself. 

'  He  is  said  to  have  one  fault,  for  which 
his  late  master  sold  him  cheaply  to  Milo,  the 
centurion  there,  whose  property  he  now  is.' 

'  Some  failure  of  sio;ht  or  of  limb  ?  ' 

'  No,  Prince,  he  hath  no  fault  of  that 
nature,  as  you  may  deduce  from  what  you  liave 
witnessed.  He  handles  his  club  as  if  it  were 
a  javelin;  but  he  is  said  to  be  possessed  of  a 
demon  who  at  times  throws  him  to  the  earth, 
tears  him  so  that  he  raves,  becomes  hideous 


58  THE    SOX    OF    A   STAR 

of  expression,  gasps  for  life,  foams  at  moutli, 
pierces  his  flesh  with  his  talons,  and  bites  his 
tongue  almost  atwain.' 

*  Enough !  enough ! '  ejaculates  the  Emperor, 
'  such  an  one  were  best  dead.  Were  it  the  will 
of  Jove  that  the  damned  spirit  which  inhabits 
these  creatures  could  die  with  tliem,  I  would 
that  youth's  sword  were  deep  in  the  monster's 
heart.  Unhappily,  the  accursed  thing  leaves 
one  body  only  to  enter  another.  But  who  is 
this  maiden  at  my  feet  ?  ' 

'  Her  Jewish  and  real  name  as  I  have  heard 
is  Huldah,  after  a  prophetess  of  her  people. 
But  in  the  camp  she  passes  as  Fidelia,  because 
Eidelis,  a  centurion,  who  is  a  hundred  years 
old  to-day,  and  in  whose  honour  this  festival 
is  held,  bought  or  found  her,  as  well  as  the 
youth  Simeon,  during  the  reign  of  Trajan.' 

'  Is  she  also  inspired  ? '  asks  the  still  more 
startled  Emperor. 

'  In  a  diiferent  way  ;  she  forecasts  events  ; 
breaks  forth  suddenly  into  music  and  song, 
as  you,  Prince,  have  witnessed  ;  heals  wounds, 
cures  the  sick,  and  withal  wields  the  sword 
and  casts  the  javelin  like  a  trained  soldier.' 

'  By  Bacchus !  noble  Pra3tor,  methinks  thou 


AVE   C^SAR  !  59 

art  in  love  Avith  the  maiden,  for  which  I  blame 
neither  thy  taste  nor  thy  judgment ;  yet  tell 
me  one  thing  more  :  mine  eyes  seize  in  the 
distance  the  figures  of  a  noble  man  and  a  child 
of  immortal  beauty.  Are  they  from  the  skies  ? ' 

'  They  are  strangers,  Prince.  A  chief  and 
a  child,  as  I  have  but  just  learned,  of  the 
western  island  of  Juverna,  on  which  Eoman 
foot  never  stood ;  the  Island,  so-called,  of 
Peace  and  Beauty.' 

'  I  knew  not  that  the  whole  world  possessed 
such  a  spot,'  sighs  the  ruler  of  the  world.  '  I 
would  I  were  there  !  Meantime  let  the  com- 
bat open,  and  see  to  it  that  in  the  evening  I 
hold  converse  with  this  wondrous  chieftain.' 


60  THE    SOX    OF    A    STAR 


CHArTEE   V. 

A    MIRACLE. 

To  show  the  due  reverence  to  the  powers  of 
heaven  by  the  powers  of  earth,  the  procession 
of  the  gods  once  more  advances  as  prehminary 
to  the  contest  of  men  with  beasts. 

The  ceremony  duly  celebrated,  the  human 
victims  are  led  into  the  rini^.  The  ca^e  of 
wolves  follows  ;  it  makes  its  way  slowly  round 
and  comes  back  to  the  entrance.  It  is  drawn 
by  eight  men,  two  abreast ;  a  single  pole,  a 
shaft  with  four  crossbars  attached  to  it  breast- 
high,  forms  the  means  by  which  the  men,  who 
are  professed  wolf-trainers,  propel  the  machine 
along. 

As  they  reacli  the  narrow  portal  of  the 
ring  they  leave  the  cage  or  wolf-chariot  in  the 
gap  ;  then  their  leader,  by  means  of  an  iron 
rod,  lets  down  the  back  of  the  cage,  his  men 
lift  up  the  pole,  and  the  wolves  are  tilted  out 


A    MIRACLE  61 

i 

on  to  the  green  sward  of  the  ring.  The  brutes 
roll  over  each  other,  and  for  a  moment  fight 
with  each  other  :  they  recover  themselves,  re- 
gain their  feet,  and  form  a  circle,  their  noses 
almost  touching. 

'  Tliey  are  holding  a  council  of  war,  the 
brutish  beasts,'  observes  Vabullius. 

'  Not  worse  than  a  human  council,'  is  the 
reply  of  Fabius. 

'  Hark !  the  council  is  over ;  they  have 
determined  on  attack.' 

A  perfectly  fiendish  liowl  of  the  beasts, 
with  their  heads  in  the  air,  declares  this  fact. 

'  They  are  invoking  their  gods,'  continues 
the  rude  Vibullius.  '  Oh,  gods  of  wolves  !  hear 
their  prayer,  for  I  have  backed  them  to  my 
last  coin.' 

The  two  men  in  the  ring  are  as  different 
in  their  proceedings  as  if  they  were  from  a  dif- 
ferent sphere.  The  attitude  of  the  Numidian 
is  one  of  watchful  zeal  to  protect,  apparently, 
not  himself  so  much  as  his  comrade. 

'  He  is  not  going  to  let  the  wolves  kill 
Simeon,  if  they  dared,'  muses  Aaron  of  the 
Altar. 

'  He    is    reserving    the    honour    of    that 


62  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

acliievement  to  himself,'  thinks  Severus ;  and 
so  think  man)'-  more. 

As  to  Simeon,  he  seems  to  care  no  more 
than  if  he  were  strolhng  in  a  garden. 

In  time  the  wolves  form  a  semicircle 
towards  the  men,  who  stand  back  at  the  far 
edge  of  the  ring  near  to  the  pit,  but  facing 
the  dais. 

Gradually  and  stealthily  they  close  in  on 
the  men,  who  can  retreat  no  further,  as  if  at 
one  spring  tliey  will  seize  their  limbs  and 
throats  and  finish  them  straightway. 

They  are  interrupted  in  their  scheme  by 
the  Numidian,  who,  with  club  raised,  rushes 
towards  the  centre  of  the  foe,  and,  leaping 
clean  over  the  two  brutes  in  the  centre,  turns 
back,  and,  witli  deadly  blows  dealt  right  and 
left,  lays  two  of  his  fiercest  enemies  helpless 
at  his  feet. 

They  two  are  now  easy  prey :  the  mighty 
club  puts  them  quickly  out  of  all  their 
misery. 

The  native  Briton  rubs  his  hands  with 
glee.  '  There  is  not  a  bone  in  the  body  of 
the  beasts  that  is  not  smashed.  This  is  sport, 
indeed  ! ' 


A    MIRACLE  63 

'  Two  of  the  wild  beasts  gone,'  reckons  the 
silent  but  less  pleased  Severus. 

'  By  what  spell  is  that  Jew  protected  ? ' 
wonders  Hadrian ;  for  the  four  remaining 
wolves,  all  but  surrounding  Simeon,  seem  to 
lie  down  at  his  bidding. 

He  makes  no  defence,  except  that  with 
arms  folded  he  looks  at  them  with  a  serene 
pity  as  unworthy  of  his  regard, 

'  Why,  maiden,  do  they  not  tear  him  limb 
from  limb  ? ' 

'  Because  he  is  beloved  of  his  God.' 

Another  question,  about  to  follow,  is 
stopped  by  a  new  turn  of  affairs  in  the  ring. 
The  beasts,  diverting  their  gaze  from  Simeon, 
wheel  round  on  the  Numidian,  and,  making  a 
desperate  spring  at  him,  give  him  bare  time  to 
escape.  One  of  them  is  indeed  successful  in 
gripping  and  tearing  off  the  'head  of  the  bear 
and  a  piece  of  the  skin  which  covers  his  body, 
and  finding  it  eatable,  commences  to  devour  it. 
The  three  others  follow  him  in  quick  pursuit, 
but,  entirely  master  of  the  situation,  the 
Numidian,  anxious  to  be  the  sole  victor,  out- 
runs them,  literally  plays  with  them,  leaps  over 
them,  and,  finally,  in  turn  chases  them.    By  a 


04  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

dexterous  hurl  of  his  club  he  levels  one  to  the 
ground  as  they  are  flying  before  him  ;  he  picks 
up  his  weapon,  and,  dismissing  this  enemy, 
takes  the  other  two  at  leisure.  They  are  the 
weakest  of  the  group,  and  have  been  famished 
too  long  to  hold  their  strength ;  they  crawl  in 
fear,  and  in  tender  mercy  are  destroyed  with 
a  single  blow. 

'  Five  out  of  six  gone,'  reckons  Severus 
and  the  rest,  who  beUeve  that  Simeon  will 
be  the  last  victim. 

It  promises  so.  Before  the  Numidian  and 
his  club  there  remain  but  two  foes  :  the  wolf 
still  engaged  on  the  head  of  the  bear,  which 
furnishes  a  wonderful  meal,  and  the  beautiful 
youth,  armed,  ready,  and  matchless  in  skill, 
courage,  and  endurance. 

There  is  now  a  general  cry  :  '  The  beasts 
no  more.     The  men  !  the  men  !  the  men  ! ' 

The  Numidian  heated  with  his  exertions, 
and  wilder  than  ever  in  his  appearance,  is 
ready  for  the  work ;  he  will  clear  the  way 
for  his  final  contest  by  killing  that  last  and 
feasting  wolf,  feasting  under  the  very  eyes  of 
Hadrian. 

Stealthily  and  rapidly  he  advances  to  the 


A    MIRACLE  65 

greedy  brute,  too  intent  on  its  meal  to  heed  its 
danger.  The  club  swings  nearly  to  the  ground 
over  the  back  of  its  master,  in  order  that  he  may 
mve  with  more  effect  the  full  and  shivering 
blow  ;  when,  as  if  overbalanced  by  the  weight 
of  his  weapon,  with  a  wild  and  unearthly 
shriek  he  falls  back  upon  it,  and  from  head 
to  foot  writhes  in  convulsive  struggles.  The 
veins  of  his  neck  grow  turgid ;  his  face  grows 
dark ;  he  gasps  for  air ;  he  foams  at  his 
mouth  ;  his  eyeballs  roll  wildly  until  the  white 
part  is  alone  visible  ;  and  he  utters  sounds  and 
gurgles  which  no  one  understands. 

-  With  a  swift  movement  the  Emperor  and 
the  vast  multitude  rise  to  their  feet,  more 
terror-stricken  by  this  sight  than  by  all  they 
have  seen  before,  though  it  had  been  twenty 
times  intensified. 

Terror  of  the  supernatural  takes  the  place 
of  the  excitement  of  a  natural  scene  to  them 
far  more  fearful. 

The  Emperor's  prejudgment  is  correct. 

The  monster  man  is  faulty  ;  he  is  possessed 
of  a  demon. 

The  wolf  that  has  devoured  the  half  meal 
it    so   fortunately  won   is  quick    to  perceive 

VOL.  L  F 


66  THli   SOX    OF   A   STAR 

another  meal  at  hand.  In  an  instant  it  had 
torn  open  the  breast  of  the  Numidian  but  for 
an  interposition. 

The  hand  of  Simeon  grasps  the  creature 
])y  the  neck,  and  holds  it  like  a  tamed  or 
cowed  dog  trying  to  escape  and  fly  whither 
it  may. 

And  now  a  new  wonder  ! 

Huldah,  from  resting  on  her  knees  survey- 
ing the  scene  at  the  feet  of  Hadrian,  rises 
majestically  and  proceeds  to  the  help  of  the 
possessed  man. 

The  wolf-trainers  at  a  sign  from  her  remove 
the  cage  which  forms  the  barrier,  that  she 
may  enter  the  arena. 

To  the  side  of  the  possessed  man  she  glides 
like  one  inspired.  She  bends  over  him.  She 
raises  her  hands  to  heaven  and  speaks ! 

Numerous  as  is  the  throng,  they  all  hear 
the  sound  of  her  voice.  Saserna  were  not 
better  heard. 

More  marvellous  still,  they  all  believe  that 
they  understand  her  command  : — 

'  I  charge  thee,  thou  foul  spirit,  come  out 
of  the  man  and  go  thy  way ! ' 


A    MIRACLE  67 

■'The  wolf!  the  wolf!  the  wolf!     See  !  see  ! 
see!     The  wolf!  the  wolf!' 

The  foul  spirit  has  entered  the  wolf.  See  ! 
see  !  the  beast,  loosed  by  Simeon,  flies,  yelling, 
across  the  arena,  and  leaps  the  iron  fence. 

Crash !  It  has  leaped  headlong  into  the  pit 
and  is  dead  as  a  stone. 

Meanwhile  the  fallen  man,  the  possessed, 
raises  himself  from  the  earth  on  to  his  knees 
before  Huldah.  With  reverent,  plaintive, 
scared  expression  he  bends  beneath  her  bea- 
tific glance,  in  mingled  sense  of  love,  grati- 
tude, humility,  and  fear.  He  seizes  the  hem 
of  her  toga,  raises  it  to  his  lips  and  kisses  it. 
He  would  worship  her  did  she  not  forbid. 

'Not  to  me,  not  to  me,  but  to  Him  in 
whose  name  thou  art  saved  from  the  evil  one,, 
be  all  thy  thankfulness  and  all  the  glory.' 

Strange,  strange,  oh  wondrous  strange  !  he 
knows  the  language  in  wliich  she  addresses 
him.     It  is  like  his  native  tongue. 

Dashing  his  massive  club  away  with  his 
foot  and  taking  her  extended  hand  in  his  own, 
he  permits  her  to  bring  him  like  a  child  into 


68  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

the  presence  of  Cajsar,  At  a  sign  from  her 
he  does  humble  homage  to  the  mighty  leader 
of  the  mighty  legions,  and  then,  in  obedience 
to  an  impatient  wave  of  the  hand  from  the 
Emperor,  that  lie  must  be  instantly  removed 
as  a  sickening  sight,  with  his  head  bent  on 
his  breast,  he  suffers  himself  to  be  led  away 
by  his  master  Milo  along  the  path  by  which 
he  entered  the  theatre. 

And  the  crowd,  following  him  with  its 
thousand  eyes,  melts,  for  a  moment,  into 
universal  sympathy,  and  heaves  its  breast  with 
his.  So  inscrutably  subtle  is  the  influence  of 
sj^mpathetic  imitation  on  the  human  heart. 

Of  all  the  spectators  of  this  singular  and 
miraculous  scene  none  are  so  impressed  as 
Hadrian  and  Severus.  By  some  secret  spring 
operating  on  their  more  refined  natures  they 
change  in  expression :  Severus  the  cold  is 
flushed  with  red ;  Hadrian  the  flushed  is 
awed  and  even  pale.  Is  this  woman,  who 
casts  herself  again  at  the  Emperor's  feet,  a 
goddess?  Does  she  know  every  imperial 
secret  thought,  word,  act  ?  Why  not  ?  She 
can  cast  out  a  demon !  What  more  marvel- 
lous  gift?      To   whom    does    such    a   divine 


A   MIRACLE  69 

being  belong,  if  not  to  the  master  of  the 
world  ? 

There  is  a  cloud  on  the  face  of  Severus 
no  doubt,  but  what  of  that  ?  Who  is  Julius 
Severus  when  Hadrian  wills  and  fates  decree  ? 

Saserna  breaks  the  spell. 

'  What  is  the  will  of  the  Emperor  towards 
Simeon  the  Jew  ? ' 

'  Forward  ! '  screams  the  crowd  to  Simeon. 
'  Do  homage  to  Cgesar.' 

He  is  brought  to  the  very  foot  of  the 
throne,  and  still  they  cry  : 

'  Do  homage  to  Csesar  ! ' 

Simeon  heeds  no  word,  no  request,  no 
prayer,  no  command. 

He  faces  Cassar  erect,  bold,  defiant ;  and 
as  one  greater  than  he  ! 


70  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

A    LIVING    TORCH. 

Emperor  and  vice-emperor  look  on  the  hand- 
some obstinate  youth  before  them  with  equally 
strong  but  widely  different  sentiments.  The 
Emperor  holds  him  in  some  kind  of  admira- 
tion and  even  awe,  tempered  with  a  desire  to 
befriend  him. 

The  least  submission,  and  he  were  the 
chosen  of  the  chosen  of  Hadrian. 

Severus,  keen-sighted,  almost  guesses  the 
truth.  He  too  has  his  admiration,  but  it  is 
admiration  mingled  with  hate  approaching  to 
ferocity.  Had  he  supreme  command  still,  not 
a  chance  of  escape  would  be  open  to  the 
already,  in  his  mind,  condemned  youth. 

'Dost  thou  remember  Trajan,  noble 
Severus  ? '  Hadrain  asks. 

*  Oh  well,  great  Prince.     Well.* 

*  In  his  youth?' 


A    LIVING    TORCH  71 

'  In  liis  second  youth,  not  his  first.' 

'  Thinkest  thou  that  Simeon  resembles  him  ? ' 

'  The  resemblance  extends  to  pain  now 
that  it  is  suggested.' 

'  I  remember  bringing  to  Trajan  a  dispatcli 
from  the  Senate,  and  that  standing  in  that  pos- 
ture he  was  the  same  though  an  older  man.  I. 
remember  him  as  a  fellow-villager  of  Italica, 
when  I,  as  a  boy,  saw  him  as  a  youth  come 
to  the  home  of  his  father  where  I  was  at 
play.  Then  he  was  actually  the  same.  Can 
the  dead  rise,  Severus  ?  ' 

*  I  see  the  likeness,  Prince  :  but  the  people 
wait ! ' 

'Wert  thou  ever  at  the  Temple  of  Daphne? 
Didst  thou  ever  dip  a  leaf  there,  into  the 
fountain  of  fate  ?  ' 

'  Never,  my  lord.' 

'  Didst  thou  never  see  the  Syrian  priestess 
who  ministered  in  the  temple  there  that  was 
filled  with  the  god  ? ' 

'  Never.' 

'  Then  hast  thou  missed  a  face  of  beauty 
and  figure  of  divineness,  such  as  mine  eyes 
have  not  fallen  on  since  until  this  hour.' 

And,  rapt   in  a  reverie  which  seemed  to 


72  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

liim  an  age,  the  Emperor  is  lost  to  all  around 
except  to  the  youth  who  stands  still  so  boldly 
at  the  foot  of  his  tlirone. 

The  murmuring  noise  of  the  crowd  wakes 
him  from  his  trance  and  rouses  him  to  speech. 

'  If  he  will  not  bend  to  us  test  him  once 
more  by  an  offering  to  the  gods,  to  Apollo 
the  Lord  of  the  Sun  and  Earth.' 

The  order  is  forthwith  sent  out.  The  priests 
of  Apollo  bring  a  pedestal  bearing  on  each 
of  its  sides  the  image  of  the  Sun  and  enclosinof 
the  mystical  emblem  to  indicate  existence  or 
being.  They  place  the  pedestal  in  front  of 
the  Emperor.  They  lay  the  fuel  on  the  top 
of  the  pedestal :  they  bring  the  sacred  torch 
and  light  the  fire. 

Then  they  lead  the  youth  Simeon  to  the  side 
of  the  pedestal  furthest  from  the  throne  :  they 
place  him  with  his  face  to  the  throne  :  they 
bring  a  small  square  box  containing  incense  : 
they  open  the  box,  and  without  violence  or 
wrath  bid  him  take  one  little  pinch  and 
throw  it  on  the  fire. 

But  not  a  muscle  of  his  rigid  frame  moves. 

The  aged  officiating  priest  is  moved  to 
tears  as  the  words  escape  him : — 


A    LIVING    TORCH  73 

'  The  god,  my  son,  whose  homage  we  invoke 
gives  thee  hf?ht.  and  heat,  and  hfe.  At  his 
command  the  seasons  take  their  course,  and 
night  and  day  are  ordained.  In  his  absence 
thou  wert  not,  nor  even  he  our  divine  Emperor 
who  longs  to  save  thee.' 

Not  a  muscle  of  the  rig;id  frame  moves. 

'  By  the  remembrance  of  thy  father,  of  the 
mother  that  bore  thee,  of  her  who  may  love 
thee,  of  thy  country,  thy  people,  thyself,  obey 
the  command  and  do  homage  to  the  god  of 
gods.' 

Not  a  muscle  moves  the  rigid  limbs ;  but 
the  lips  declare  in  ringing  voice  : — 

'In  vain,  in  vain.  I  will  worship  no 
graven  image.' 

'  Obstinate  miscreant  1 '  screams  VibuUius. 

'Brave  youth! '  pronounces  Fabius. 

'Faithful  to  death,'  whispers  Aaron  of  the 
Altar.  '  Would  to  God  I  could  die  for  thee, 
oh  Simeon,  son  of  my  people.' 

It  is  impossible  to  do  more  in  the  way  of 
persuasion  ;  it  is  impossible  now  for  Hadrian 
to  show  mercy. 

He  consults  with  Severus,  and  Saserna  is 
then  bidden  to  take  the  will  of  the  people. 


74  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

'  CjEsar  demands  tlie  will  of  the  people. 
Is  it  the  will  of  the  people  that  Simeon  the 
Jew  shall  be  set  free  ?  ' 

The  answer  is  taken  by  a  movement  of 
the  thumbs.  If  the  thumbs  of  a  majority  of 
voters  are  turned  up  to  the  sky,  Simeon  is 
free.  If  they  are  turned  down,  his  fate  is 
sealed  for  further  sport  or  torture. 

The  masses  rise,  and  with  one  simultaneous 
movement  extend  their  open  hands  and  direct 
their  thumbs  to  the  earth. 

Another  consultation  between  Hadrian  and 
Severus  ;  another  message  through  Saserna. 

*  Cgesar  demands  the  will  of  the  people  for 
the  sport  they  desire.' 

Many  voices  are  heard,  but  the  one  that 
prevails  carries  the  day. 

'  The  torch,  the  torch,  the  living  torch.' 

A  blast  of  trumpet  proclaims  for  the  first 
time  the  Emperor's  will  that  the  general  wish 
shall  be  obeyed.     What  else  can  he  do  ? 

Let  the  choicest  of  Eoman  soldiers  ;  let 
Fidelis  himself  disobey  an  imperial  command 
and  who  can  save  him.     Hadrian  is  two  men. 


A   LIVING   TORCH  75 

He  is  man  of  man,  and  man  of  empire.  He 
is  the  heart  of  Eome.  Stop  his  beat  and  the 
empire  may  die. 

Towards  this  youth  Simeon  his  natural 
heart  turns  while  his  imperial  heart  trembles. 
Intensely  impressed  at  every  moment  of  his 
life  by  the  sense  of  the  supernatural,  he  knows 
not  how  to  act.  He  is  challenged  on  his  very 
throne,  in  the  face  of  his  army,  by  a  power  that 
sees  and  reasons.  He  is  moved  and  challenged 
by  another  power  hidden  in  the  souls  of  a 
stripling  boy  and  an  inspired  woman.  It  is  like 
being  compressed  between  the  powers  of  light 
and  darkness ;  between  a  sea  of  solid  faces 
bent  on  revenge  and  sport  and  two  shadowy 
forms,  mysterious  and  fearful,  types  of  the 
mysterious  east,  out  of  which  the  sun  comes 
forth  each  morning  in  his  might,  always  to 
be  born  again  let  man  do  what  he  will!    '■ 

The  voice  of  the  people  settles  the  question. 
It  always  does. 

Seeing  the  nature  of  the  elements  before 
him,  Hadrian  knows  he  must  act,  for  the 
moment,  the  common  part,  let  the  mystery 
work,  in  the  end,  what  it  may.  He  must 
obey  the  will  of  the  people. 


76  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

The  trumpet  sounds  a  second  time,  and 
Simeon  is  led  to  his  fate.  He  is  phiced  at  the 
gateway  leading  into  the  small  arena.  At  the 
gateway  is  an  armed  guard  ready  to  cut  him 
to  pieces  should  he  attempt  escape  that  way. 

Under  the  eyes  of  CiEsar  he  is  clothed  over 
his  own  choice  garments  with  a  garment  of 
sackcloth  saturated  with  bitumen  ;  clothed 
over  all  his  body,  his  legs  and  face  alone  free. 

At  the  third  signal,  he  is  to  be  set  on  fire 
from  a  torch  lighted  at  the  pedestal  of  Apollo 
and  is  let  loose  into  the  closed  ring,  there  to 
rave  and  fight  with  the  flames  until  he  is  con- 
sumed, or  until,  in  his  ungovernable  frenzy,  he 
leaps  into  the  pit  like  the  possessed  wolf. 

The  Briton  with  the  scored  back  makes 
peace  with  the  centurion  who  scored  him  for 
the  news  of  this  ordeal  of  fire. 

'  Oh  these  Eomans,  how  well  they  under- 
stand sport.  Wolves  first  and  fire  afterwards. 
The  circus  knows  its  own  again.'  So  he  taunts 
his  wife,  who  assents,  to  his  delight,  out  of  fear 
of  him. 

Hadrian  and  Severus  once  more  confer. 
It  would  seem  that  Severus  is  inclined  to  object, 
but  is  obliged  to  yield. 


A   LIVING   TORCH  77 

Saserna  explains  aloud. 

'  It  is  the  will  of  Caisar  that  the  path 
from  the  outer  edge  of  the  pit  to  the  eastern 
gateway  be  kept  clear,  so  that  the  living  torch 
may  fly  into  the  country  should  he  escape  from 
the  ring.     And  let  no  one  pursue  him.' 

The  command  gives  zest  to  the  excitement. 
It  suggests  an  impossible  thing.  All  the 
better ! 

'It  affords  his  gods  a  better  chance  of 
serving  him ! '  says  the  jesting  Vibullius. 

'  Say  rather  that  it  gives  him  a  better 
chance  of  serving  his  God  a  longer  time,' 
observes  Fabius  with  a  respectful  reverence 
that  contrasts  strongly  with  the  tone  of  his 
comrade. 

The  month  in  which  this  tragedy  is  enacted 
is  September,  and  the  evening  is  now  rapidly 
closing  in.  The  light  is  becoming  golden 
red ;  the  clouds  are  golden,  and  the  atmo- 
sphere is  filling  up  with  an  ether  of  golden 
vapour  which  is  as  sensible  as  if  it  could 
be  sealed  up  in  vases  of  light  and  kept  for  ever. 


78  TUE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

It  is  a  light  that  can  be  felt ;  it  gives  to  every- 
thing it  touches  its  own  hue  ;  it  reaches  the 
mind  as  a  familiar  friend,  and  fills  it  with  its 
own  magnetic  tone.  It  is  the  light  of  light  for 
the  solemn  act  about  to  follow,  such  a  light  as 
a  poor  player,  could  he  invent  it,  would  cast 
upon  his  little  stage,  to  colour  all,  according 
to  his  sense,  with  the  tragic,  the  majestic, 
the  sublime.  By  it,  the  earth,  the  trees,  the 
vast  assembly  of  men  and  women,  the  chariots 
and  horses,  the  arms,  the  standards,  the 
distant  hills,  the  firmament,  are  made  uniform 
in  colour,  and  equally  beautiful,  every  defect 
concealed  in  the  enrifting  glow.  Even  Simeon 
made  really  hideous,  in  other  light  by  the 
bituminous  garb  in  which  he  is  invested,  is 
still  a  handsome  statue,  a  pillar  of  rough 
gold  with  the  face  of  a  god. 

Will  no  one  step  forth  to  ask  for  his 
life? 

Will  not  Fidelis  of  a  hundred  years  step 
forth,  and  in  the  name  of  his  own  faithful 
services,  but  a  few  hours  ago  so  loudly  ac- 
claimed, ask  one  favour  of  his  lord  and  master, 
the  clement  Csesar  ? 

Alas,  such  a  thought  is  the  last  that  would 


A    LIVING    TOKCH  79 

enter  his  mind.  Did  Ccesar  say  to  him, 
'  Fidelis,  step  forth  and  fall  on  thy  sword,' 
he  would  do  it  as  readily  as  he  would  lead 
out  his  hundred  men  to  battle. 

In  the  Roman  army  age  does  but  crystal- 
lise obedience. 

Will  not  the  woman  who  has  wrought  the 
miracle  interpose  ? 

On  her  the  two  men,  before  whom  she 
is  reclining,  cast  their  favours.  Will  she  not 
speak  ? 

She  speaks  not  a  word  of  that  kind,  but 
she  rises,  and  picking  up  her  cymbals  marches 
to  the  side  of  the  condemned  man  as  if  pre- 
paring to  move  in  triumph  with  him. 

With  her  cymbals  beating  time  to  her 
voice  she  sings  to  him  some  songs  he  knows, 
and  to  which  all  they  of  his  race  who  hear 
them  respond  in  silent  sympathy.  The  rest 
merely  wonder  and  listen  :  they  know  not  the 
sweet  strains  nor  the  assuring  words. 

The  first  stanzas  are  solemn  and  sorrow- 
ful:— 

'  A  people  robbed,  a  people  robbed  and  spoiled  ! 
They  are  for  a  prey,  and  none  delivereth  :  for  a  spoil, 
and  none  saitb,  Restore.' 


80  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

The  next  are  of  hope  and  trust : — 

'  Therefore  will  I  look  unto  the  Lord, 
I  will  wait  for  the  God  of  my  salvation. 

Rejoice  not  over  me,  oh  my  enemy, 
When  I  fall  I  shall  rise.' 


Quickly  the  strain  changes  into  one  of  joy 
and  exultation : — 

'  Thus  saith  the  Lord  : 
Fear  not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee, 
I  have  called  thee  by  my  name,  thou  art  mine. 
When  thou  passest  through  the  waters  I  will  be  with  thee 
And  through  the  rivers  they  shall  not  overflow  thee, 
When  thou  walkest  through  the  fire  thou  shalt  not  be 
burned. 

'  Fear  not,  oh  Jacob  my  servant. 
And  thou  Jeshurun  whom  I  have  chosen, 
Fear  ye  not,  neither  be  afraid. 
I  am  the  Lord,  your  Holy  one,  the  creator  of  Israel,  your 

King! 

'  Arise,  shine,  for  thy  light  is  come. 
And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  upon  thee, 
And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light 
And  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising  : 
Fear  ye  not,  neither  be  afraid.' 

Another  blast  of  the  trumpet  peals  forth 
and  forms  a  magical  ending  to  the  song.  The 
victim  is  led  out  to  the  gateway  of  the  ring. 


.     A   LIVING    TORCH  81 

The  torch  brought  from  the  altar  of  the 
god  is  applied  to  the  skirts  of  the  bituminous 
garment,  and  with  a  bound  the  living  pillar  of 
fire  crosses  the  arena  like  a  lightning  flash ; 
he  is  seen  in  the  air  ;  he  has  leapt  the  palisade 
and  pit  at  a  bound  ;  he  is  on  the  pathway  to- 
wards the  open  pass  ;  he  is  through  the  pass 
itself  and,  blazing  furiously,  is  into  the  valley 
beyond. 

Severus  in  his  rage  all  but  forgets  the  pre- 
sence of  his  Prince.  He  is  about  to  give  an 
order  for  pursuit,  remembers  his  place,  craves 
pardon,  and,  baffled  in  his  design  for  the  mo- 
ment, falls  into  silent  thought  of  what  shall 
next  be  done.  The  people  are  maddened  with 
enthusiasm.  They  are  disappointed  and  yet 
delighted.  A  second  miracle  has  been  worked 
for  their  admiration.  Some  of  them  run  to 
the  spot  to  look  at  the  distance  the  living  fire 
has  leaped.  Others  crowd  on  the  bank  of  the 
theatre,  and  strain  their  eyes  to  see  the  torch 
still  living  and  flying  with  the  wind. 

It  descends  the  steep  valley,  crosses  it,  and 
with  dazzling  brightness  ascends  on  the  other 
side.  It  started  a  pillar  of  living  fire  :  it 
narrows  into  an  erect  fine  of  fire  thinner  and 

VOL.   I.  G 


82  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

thinner  each  moment  until  it  is  a  mere  streak 
of  flame  :  it  becomes  a  radiant  gem,  made 
more  brilliant  by  the  deepening  darkness  :  still 
smaller  in  size,  it  rises  high  up  on  the  opposite 
ascent  it  is  climbing,  until  it  is  a  mere  speck 
of  light :  it  flickers,  fades,  and  vanishes. 

The  living  torch,  out  of  sight,  is  instantly 
out  of  the  mind  of  that  vast  assembly.  A 
man  has  gone  forth  from  it,  a  man  like 
tliemselves,  of  flesh  and  blood  the  same  ;  of 
sensibilities  the  same  ;  of  mind  and  soul  the 
same.  He  has  gone  forth  a  sheet  of  fire ! 
Does  no  one  ask  his  fate  ?  Does  anyone  ask 
the  fate  of  the  deer  that  over  the  mountain- 
side carries  the  arrow  of  the  archer  in  its 
vitals  ?  Does  any  one  ask  what  is  the  fate  of 
a  boar  that,  with  maimed  limbs  from  the  teeth 
of  the  hounds,  has  crept  into  a  shelter  of  wood 
and  brake  where  it  cannot  be  further  pursued  ? 
Nonsense ! 

The  gods  sent  the  wretch,  man  or  beast, 
for  sport,  what  else  ?  Some  day  some  one, 
climbing  the  opposite  ascent  which  the  living 
torch  has  climbed,  may  find  the  charred 
remnants  of  the  victim,  and  kick  them  over 
as  those  of  him  who  made  the  wonderful  leap. 


A   LIVING   TORCH  83 

Good  for  the  future.  For  the  present,  that 
which  the  crowd  wants  is  more  sport,  a  new 
pleasure. 

Severus  has  foreseen  this  desire,  and,  with 
clever  forecaste,  has  provided  for  it.  To  the 
sound  of  many  trumpets,  and  the  huzzas  of 
many  voices,  the  Emperor  and  he  have  retired 
in  grand  procession  to  the  camp,  leaving 
behind  them  a  proclamation  of  the  Emperor's 
pleasure  that  the  camp  shall  be  illuminated 
and  festivity  be  the  order  of  the  night. 

Even  to  midnight.  So  ran  the  proclama- 
tion. 

Huzza !  Three  times  three.  Huzza ! 
Huzza  !     Huzza ! 


G    2 


84  THE   SON   OF   A    STAR 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MIRTH    AND     MYSTERY. 

The  Roman  soldier  knows  his  duties  so  well 
he  always  does  the  same  thing  in  the  same 
way,  and  in  the  best  manner. 

Whether  the  order  from  the  superior  in 
command  be  to  march,  to  rest,  to  fight,  to 
feast,  it  is  carried  out  instantly.  Every  man 
is  ready  at  every  moment. 

The  order  for  the  festival  by  night  is  car- 
ried out  in  this  spirit,  and  the  change  which 
takes  place  in  the  camp  is  the  work  almost  of 
magic  art.  Before  Hadrian  and  Severus  have 
lieen  an  hour  in  their  quarters,  a  thousand 
lamps  are  mounted  on  stakes  or  staves,  which 
every  soldier  has  in  store,  and  are  blazing 
away  all  over  the  camp  and  its  surroundings. 
Other  lamps  are  obtained,  and  laid  on  the 
ground  of  the  ramparts  in  lioles  rapidly  cut 


MIETH    AND   MYSTERY  85 

to  admit  the  globe  of  oi],  and  very  soon  all  the 
raised  structure  of  the  camp  can  be  seen  for 
miles  around  like  a  vast  mound  of  fire. 

To  crown  tlie  whole  the  Pharos  or  fire- 
tower  in  the  south-eastern  angle  of  the 
square  is  hghted  with  an  enormous  pile  of 
dry  fuel.  The  flames  of  this  pile  ascend  thirty 
feet  above  the  tower,  and  light  up  the  whole 
encampment  like  a  newly  risen  sun. 

Nor  is  the  circus  forgotten.  It  too  is 
soon  illuminated,  and  prepared  for  dances, 
feats  of  strength,  and  various  games  in  which 
the  ball  plays  a  conspicuous  part. 

The  news  of  the  great  festivities  flies  far 
and  wide  the  country  round,  for  such  a  fire 
was  never  seen  before.  Some  of  the  simple 
country  folk  think  the  camp  is  on  fire  by 
accident,  but  all,  like  moths,  are  drawn  to 
it,  the  knowing  ones  bringing  whatever  they 
possess  from  which  they  can  earn  a  fair  profit 
by  sale  or  barter  or  skilful  sport. 

Equally  rapid  are  the  movements  of  those 
who  are  to  be  the  providers  of  the  temporary 
feast.  The  slaves  are  driven  about  in  all  direc- 
tions, the  stores  are  unpacked,  and  the  kitchen 
furnaces  are   hard   at   work.     The  men  and 


86  THE   SaN    OF   A    STAR 

women  who  lianp^  about  the  camp  are  allowed 
to  open  their  stalls  for  the  sale  of  wine  and  oil 
and  bread.  The  makers  of  mirth,  the  songsters, 
the  reciters,  the  mimetic  players,  the  dancers, 
the  buffoons  turn  out  in  their  varied  costumes. 
The  musicians  gather  together  in  groups,  and 
tune  their  stringed  instruments  for  music. 
Outside  the  tents,  and  along  the  great  highways 
and  streets  of  the  camp,  the  tables  and  reclining 
seats  or  couches  are  set  out,  and  from  the 
grand  centre  the  military  bands,  if  they  may 
1)6  so  called,  send  forth  their  stimulating 
strains  of  melody. 

Within  two  short  hours  the  whole  of  the 
populace  of  this  Roman  centre  of  life,  usually 
so  staid,  mechanical,  and  solemn,  is  one  vast 
orgie,  controlled  easily  if  troublesome,  but  in 
due  bounds  left  to  itself  to  do  and  work  its 
own  will  and  pleasure. 

It  is  indeed  a  picturesque  and  curious  scene 
in  which  we  now  take  part. 

For  sixty  miles  around  the  Pharos  sends 
forth  its  sunlike  rays,  and  signals  from  it  fly 
to  tell  to  neighbouring  camps  the  special 
honour  that  belongs  to  ours. 

The  main  street  of  our  camp,  wdiich  divides 


MIRTH   AND   MYSTERY  87 

the  tents  or  huts  of  the  common  soldiers  from 
the  quarters  of  the  officers,  is  specially  attrac- 
tive, not  only  for  its  feastings,  but  for  its  trans- 
formation into  quite  a  fairy-land.  The  forum 
in  the  centre  of  this  street,  in  which,  when 
required,  the  Pra3tor  sits  in  judgment,  is 
turned  into  a  theatre,  from  the  stage  of  which 
those  who  are  gifted  with  eloquence  of  speech 
or  song  are  called  forth,  imperatively,  to  dis- 
play their  powers  for  the  common  merriment. 
Some  are  called  to  dehver  verses  and  legends 
from  the  great  Eoman  writers  or  poets  ;  some, 
natives  of  Britain,  are  brought  out  to  dance  ; 
some,  conjurers,  are  made  to  conjure  and  cast 
fortunes  ;  some,  athletes,  are  made  to  perform 
feats  of  strength  or  agility. 

As  the  night  advances,  and  the  stock  of 
amusements  around  the  grand  centre  begins 
rather  to  flag,  there  is  a  cry  for  Tinnius  the 
Red  beard.  What  he  is  to  do  no  one  knows 
or  cares  to  enquire,  for  he  is  a  favourite  who 
always  does  something  new  and  pleasing,  and 
at  all  costs  he,  therefore,  must  be  had  and 
heard. 

The  cry  is  loud  for  Tinnius  Rufus  the  Red- 
beard,  and  when,  very  much  worried  by  his 


88  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

virago,  who  sticks  to  him  Hke  a  limpet,  he 
makes  his  way  through  the  crowd  to  gain  the 
tribune,  the  cheering,  which  extends  from  one 
end  of  the  camp  to  the  other,  tells  the  Emperor 
and  Severns,  as  they  talk  together  after  the 
Emperor  has  partaken  alone  of  his  simple 
evening  meal,  a  crust  of  bread  with  fruit,  a 
few  sweet  herbs,  and  a  flask  of  vinegar  wine, 
that  something  specially  entertaining  is  about 
to  occur. 

'  What,'  asks  the  Emperor  of  an  attendant, 
'  what  does  this  ringing  uproar  mean  ?  ' 

The  attendant,  a  bashful  youth,  answers  t 
'  Tinnius  Eufus,  Prince,  the  Eed  beard,  is 
about  to  sing  from  the  Forum.' 

For  a  moment  all  is  quiet  to  the  ears  of 
the  distinguished  rulers,  but  soon,  ten  times 
louder  than  ever,  the  applause  is  resumed. 

'  Tinnius  the  Eed-beard,  great  Prince,  is 
called  upon  to  sing  again.' 

Tinnius,  in  short,  has  got  an  enthusiastic 
and  obstinate  encore,  an  encore  so  enthusiastic 
and  so  obstinate  it  moves  the  Emperor  him- 
self to  go  and  share  with  the  audience  in  the 
fun  which  has  been  elicited. 

The  thing  is  easily  done:  that  plain  soldier 


MIRTH    AND   MYSTERY  89 

may  go,  under  the  artificial  liglit,  wherever  he 
lists  and  not  be  known.  Severus  must  remain, 
Hadrian  may  go. 

Wending  his  way  through  the  crowd  quite 
unrecognised,  Hadrian  soon  attains  what 
he  wants — a  quiet  place  near  the  Forum 
where  he  can  see  and  not  be  conspicuously 
seen. 

The  great  Tinnius  is  still  receiving  the 
plaudits  of  his  admirers.  The  great  man 
bows  to  his  admirers,  just  as  great  men  always 
bow.  The  admirers  renew  the  cheer,  and 
then  call  silence  for  the  great  man. 

Tinnius  advances  in  correct  fashion  to  face 
his  audience.  Clothed  in  mock  imperial  robes, 
he  stands  under  a  little  bower  of  lamps  ;  he 
draws  from  his  bosom  a  scroll  at  which  he 
glances  furtively.  Then  he  clears  his  throat, 
and,  taking  his  key  from  the  twang  of  a  lute, 
he  sings  out  again,  in  a  voice  which  supphes  in 
power  whatever  it  wants  in  sweetness,  the  song 
that  has  been  so  loudly  encored.  It  is  a  song 
intended  for  the  occasion,  an  impromptu  very 
difficult  to  be  understood  by  the  native  part 
of  the  audience,  but  to  the  Eoman  part,  dry 
and  spry  and  sly. 


90  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 


The  Song  of  Tinnius  Rufus  the  Red-beard. 

JEcce  Imperator  ! 

Jupiter  from  heaven  glancing 
Fix'd  his  godlike  eyes  on  earth. 
Soldiers  singing,  maidens  dancing 
Filled  him  full  of  jealous  mirth. 
Maidens  dancing,  soldiers  vsinging 
Not  of  him  the  great  creator, 
But  in  raptest  chorus  ringing, 

Ecce  Imperator! 

All  the  gods  unto  him  calling, 
'  See,'  he  cried,  '  yon  mortal,  see  ! 
Thousand  slaves  around  him  falling 
Worship  him  instead  of  me. 
Next  with  rebel  voice  appalling 
They  will  name  him  our  dictator. 
We  must  stop  their  wanton  brawling, 
Ecce  Imperator  1 

Hercules  !  with  club  descending. 
Dash  him  from  his  mocking  throne. 
Mercury  !  thy  bright  bow  bending, 
Send  a  shaft  through  flesh  and  bone. 
Esculapius  !  poisons  blending. 
Be  our  arch  administrator, 
Stop  their  wretched  throats  from  rending, 
Ecce  Imperator ! ' 

Quick  as  thought  the  gods,  obeying 
Their  august  and  mighty  lord. 
Hastened  to  prepare  for  slaying 
Him  the  mortal  hosts  adored. 


MIRTH   AND   MYSTERY  91 

But  the  goddesses,  arraying 
All  their  forces  for  the  traitor, 
Echoed  what  the  men  were  saying, 
Ecce  Imperator  ! 

Vanquished  Jove  to  Caesar  bowing 
Stands  a  mark  for  gods  and  men. 
Day  and  night  for  ever  showing 
Powers  of  gods  and  men  are  vain, 
With  the  goddesses  bestowing 
On  their  choice  their  imprimatur  ; 
Name  and  fame  and  love  endowing  : 
Ecce  Imperator ! 

Romans  I  to  your  Tinnius  bringing 
All  your  love  and  loyalty. 
While  the  goddesses  are  flinging 
Him  their  smiles  and  kisses  sly  ; 
Let  your  powerful  voices  ringing 
Tell  the  gods  that  no  one  greater. 
Could  be  found  to  hear  you  singing, 
Ecce  Imperator ! 

The  effect  of  the  refrain  of  this  song 
throughout  the  camp  is  Uke  a  whirlwind. 
Tinnius  sang  the  song,  but  Saserna,  the 
'  editor,'  or  master  of  ceremonies,  wrote  it, 
and,  being  a  true  lover  of  the  anonymous,  is 
not  a  little  proud  of  his  performance.  There 
is  a  pride  in  the  anonymous  greater  often  than 
in  the  nonymous,  and  Saserna  feels  it  keenly. 
Very  shrewdly,  he  has  placed  himself  not  many 


9^ 


THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 


yards  from  the  quarters  of  Hadrian,  and,  as 
liis  voice  of  thunder  takes  up  the  refrain,  the 
wliole  camp  follows  his  lead  so  completely  that 
it  were  dangerous  for  any  one  to  be  silent. 

The  situation  held,  at  the  moment,  by  the 
Emperor,  proud  as  it  may  seem  to  be,  is  not 
without  its  embarrassments  ;  for  he,  ranking 
as  a  common  soldier,  dare  do  no  more  nor  less 
than  join  in  voice  loyally  with  the  rest. 

An  Emperor  may  be  troubled  when  he 
hears  himself  made,  by  the  tongue  of  the  joker, 
a  mark  for  public  comment ;  and  as  the  droll 
Tinnius  rolled  out  and  emphasised,  with  ges- 
tures that  cannot  be  written  down,  the  allusions 
to  the  goddesses,  a  thought  pricks  the  imperial 
mind  that  perhaps  a  satire  deep  and  sore,  for 
which,  as  we  may  see  later  on,  there  is  some 
loose  foundation,  is  conveyed.  But  when  the 
merry  songster,  in  the  final  verse,  assumes  all 
the  glory  to  himself,  and,  with  infinite  humour 
of  manner  and  assumption  of  imperial  dignity, 
claims  to  himself  the  smiles  and  kisses  of  the 
goddesses,  and  the  adoration  of  the  people,  the 
perfect  innocency  of  any  insult  withdraws  the 
suspicion,  and  sends  the  Imperator  back  to  his 
tent  one  of  the  chief  laughers  of  the  whole 


MIRTH   AND   MYSTERY  93 

laughing  encampment ;  while  the  Red-beard, 
released  from  his  temporary  dignity,  becomes 
the  hero  of  the  hour,  and  '  Ecce  Imperator  ' 
the  facile  password  to  all  good  fellowship. 

How  many  flagons  of  Roman  wine  and  of 
British  mead  are  drunken  to-night  to  '  Ecce 
Imperator,'  it  would  be  as  hard  as  sad  to  tell ; 
for  all  except  the  Emperor  are  slaves  to  wine 
at  festive  times.  He,  with  the  stern  sim- 
plicity of  a  Stoic,  returns  to  his  tent  unat- 
tended. Severus  has  prudently  retired  to 
his  own  quarters,  duties,  or  pleasures,  and  the 
Emperor  is  left  all  alone  according  to  his 
imperial  will. 

A  plainer  tent  than  the  imperial  tent  no 
travelling  officer  or  soldier  in  the  whole  army 
could  possess.  In  five  minutes  of  time  it  can 
be  struck  or  set  in  full  form  ready  for  his 
use  and  occupation.  When  he  is  out  of  it, 
inspecting  troops,  making  surveys,  delivering 
judgments,  presiding  over  councils,  or  planning 
fortifications — and  he  would  often  take  part 
in  all  these  things  in  the  course  of  a  single 
day — the  soldiers  get  sly  peeps,  at  all  risks, 
into  this  marvellous  tent.  To  be  caught 
within  it  might,  under  strict  rule,  mean  con- 


94  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

dign  punishment,  but  no  one  ever  suffers  for 
his  curiosity.  In  point  of  fact,  Hadrian  rather 
enjoys  the  inquisitiveness,  and  allows  it  tacitly 
to  work  out  his  own  ends.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  tent  to  conceal,  and  the  simplicity  of 
it  is  an  example  of  order  and  power.  If  he, 
the  master  of  all  the  legions,  can  be  satisfied 
with  so  simple  an  apartment,  by  what  right 
can  an  idle  patrician  claim  more  of  luxury, 
and  of  what  have  the  common  soldiers  to  com- 
plain ? 

In  an  empire  of  soldiers  no  example  were 
wiser  or  stronger.  The  tent  itself  is  of  the 
usual  round  and  pointed  form  ;  but  at  each 
side  there  runs  off  from  it  a  little  pavilion, 
holding  a  bed  or  couch  raised  but  a  foot  or  so 
from  the  earth.  In  the  centre  of  the  tent  is 
a  small  table  with  a  reclining  couch  aside  it. 
Upon  the  table  is  a  book,  a  Eoman  translation 
of  the  works  of  the  learned  Jew,  Josephus,  who 
had  fought  and  written  during  the  wars  of  his 
people  under  Vespasian  and  Titus,  an  hour- 
glass, and  a  lighted  candle.  The  candle  is 
peculiar.  It  indicates  the  time  from  hour  to 
hour.  It  is  made  of  wax,  coloured  in  sections, 
each  section  marked  with  a  Roman  numeral, 


MIRTH    AND    MYSTEEY  95 

and  each  having  the  capacity  of  burning  one 
hour,  a  primitive  silent  candle-clock,  which 
always  burns  and  records  time  in  that  tent 
when  the  sun  has  gone  to  rest.  By  this 
primitive  time-piece,  invented  by  the  Emperor 
himself,  he  knows  that  it  is  within  an  hour  of 
midnight,  an  hour  later  than  usual  for  bed. 

His  young  attendant  has  by  his  order 
joined  the  sports,  so  he  waits  on  himself. 

He  takes  off  his  accoutrements,  lays  his 
sword  on  the  table,  passes  into  his  sleeping 
pavilion,  returns  invested  in  a  warm  purple 
robe  or  dressing-gown,  his  sole  garment  of 
imperial  quality,  sits  down  on  the  couch,  and, 
bringing  the  candle  near  to  him,  commences 
listlessly  to  read  the  book  before  him. 

It  is  in  vain  !  He  cannot  read,  he  cannot 
sleep  according  to  his  usual  custom,  for  he  is 
vexed,  perplexed,  and  anxious.  He  is  vexed 
that  one  of  his  mandates  has  not  been  obeyed. 
He  told  Severus  that  he  wished  to  converse 
with  the  remarkable  stranger  and  child  whom 
he  had  discovered  in  the  crowd  at  the  time 
of  the  combat,  and  he  has  learned,  at  his 
frugal  supper,  that  the  two  have  mysteriously 
disappeared,  just  before  the  scene  of  the  flying 


96  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

torch,  and  can  nowhere  be  found.  No  one 
saw  these  illustrious  strangers  come,  no  one 
saw  them  depart.  They  had  neither  eaten, 
drunken,  nor  spoken  with  living  soul.  Their 
costume  alone  had  suggested  to  Severus  that 
they  had  come  from  the  western  Isle  of  Peace 
and  Beauty.  Musing  on  this  circumstance, 
the  mind  of  the  Emperor  wanders  to  that  stiff- 
necked  youth,  who,  as  if  he  were  a  king  over 
death  himself,  had  refused,  him,  Hadrian,  the 
ruler  of  all  the  world,  the  meanest  reverence. 

Never  before  has  mortal  man  dared  to 
treat  the  Csesar  in  such  a  manner. 

The  insult  stings  ;  but  this  diversion  of  his 
thoughts  subsides  in  the  remembrance  of  the 
maiden  of  magic  and  grace,  who  recHned  at 
his  feet,  who  cast  out  the  evil  spirit  from  that 
monster  of  a  man,  and  who  sang  the  strange 
songs  to  the  youth  about  to  die. 

Of  these  divinely  endowed  creatures  he 
has  heard,  and  doubts  not  they  exist.  His  mind 
goes  back  once  more  to  the  sacred  Temple 
where  there  was  such  a  woman  whom  the 
priests  of  the  temple  retained  as  a  Syrian  or 
Jewish  prophetess,  and  whom  Trajan  loved 
and  perhaps  bore  away. 


MIRTH    AND    MYSTERY  97 

Gifts  like  these  are,  like  features,  inherited. 
Could  this  woman  be  her  child  ? 

No,  her  face  is  neither  the  face  of  Trajan 
nor  of  the  Jewess  :  were  it  the  face  of  that 
rebellious  youth  the  suspicion  would  be  true. 
or  might  be  true,  at  least.  Straining  to  recall 
many  long-forgotten  details  he  returns,  in 
thought,  to  the  man  and  the  child,  in  their 
mantles  of  emerald  green.  They  have  no  real 
voice,  and  yet  they  seem  to  say  to  him  :  '  Hold 
that  woman  in  thy  safe  keeping  ;  let  her  never 
depart  from  thy  power,  for  she  is  thy  incar- 
nate, thy  good  spirit.' 

It  was  one  of  those  brief  dehriums  in  whicli 
recent  events  wake  up  some  of  the  drowsy 
senses  to  future  life  and  action.  But  these 
deliriums  are  potent  ministries.  They  have 
made  more  real  history  than  all  the  hosts 
of  real  men  who  ever  took  the  field.  They 
are  an  ordination  of  supreme  nature  herself 
directing  events.  They  are  the  soul  of  the 
supernatural,  and  yet  are  the  commonest 
humanity.  They  have  given  birth  to  faiths, 
religions,  wars,  crusades,  revolutions,  em- 
pires. 

And  now  once  more  they  play  their  part. 

VOL.    I.  H 


98  THE   SON   OF  A   STAR 

The  first  man  of  Eome,  rising  up  to  his  full 
intelligence  from  one  of  these  deliriums, 
accepts  the  manifestation,  and  declaring  '  It 
shall  be  done,'  sinks  on  his  couch  into  deej) 
and  long  repose. 

Caesar  sleeps !     A  goddess  in  the  form  of 
a  god  rises  amongst  men  1 


99 


CHAPTER  yill. 

LAID    LOW   WITH    WINE. 

Whilst  tlie  master  of  the  legions  takes  his 
repose  the  camp  is  still  awake.  There  is  yet 
plenty  of  time  •  left  for  continuance  of  the 
revelry,  and,  although  the  native  part  of  the 
population,  and  they  who  live  outside  the  camp, 
are  fast  dissolving,  so  as  to  reach  their  various 
homes,  the  Eoman  soldiers  remain  in  festivity. 
They  have  ceased  to  sing  and  to  dance,  but 
they  are  little  less  merry,  for  they  recline 
around  the  festive  tables  either  within  or  at  the 
doors  of  their  tents  or  huts,  tell  stories  of  the 
past,  discuss  current  topics,  praise  women  and 
wine,  and  laugh  and  joke  as  Eoman  soldiers 
off  duty  always  do. 

But  they  are  ready  at  a  moment's  call  for 
duty  when  that  is  required. 

'  They  always  come  when  I  call  them,  and 
sometimes  they  come  when  I  don't  call  them.' 

H  2 


iOO  THE   SON   OP   A   STAK 

That  was  the  slow  and  only  joke  of 
Fidelia,  tlie  centurion  of  a  hundred  years ;  a 
joke  calculated  to  become  lasting  as  time. 

Together  with  the  soldiers,  the  officers, 
from  the  centurions  upwards,  have  also  their 
enjoyments.  In  their  various  quarters  they 
form  their  little  coteries,  and,  marching  out  at 
various  intervals  to  witness  the  outside  amuse- 
ments, return  to  their  wine  and  their  private 
merriment. 

Of  the  groups  of  officers  and  friends  which 
lend  themselves  to  the  general  and  private 
mirth  one  is  of  special  interest  to  us. 

It  is  in  the  quarters  of  Tinnius  Eufus.  It 
is  made  up  of  that  worthy  himself,  of  the  two 
new  arrivals,  Fabius  and  VibuUius,  and  of 
Saserna,  '  the  editor,'  as  he  is  called,  of  the 
ceremonies,  and  the  director  of  the  Mappa  at 
the  sport  that  has  been  carried  out  during  the 
previous  day. 

These  men  Avere  all  old  companions  in 
Eome,  as  schoolfellows  in  their  young  days, 
and  although  they  were  of  somewhat  different 
rank,  station  and  fortune,  they  continue 
attached  friends,  and  rejoice  much  at  meeting 
together  once  again. 


LAID    LOW   WITH   WINE  101 

Fabiiis  is  one  of  tlie  clioicest  living  repre- 
sentatives of  patrician  Rome.  In  the  early 
and  troublous  times,  ere  yet  the  plebeians  had 
any  power,  the  ancestors  of  Fabius  were  con- 
spicuous not  only  for  their  greatness  but  for 
their  liberality.  They  fought  for  the  honest 
privileges  of  the  plebs,  and  did  much  for 
securing  the  same.  They  stood  by  the  measure 
which  gave  the  lower  grades  their  power,  and 
they  and  their  descendants  were  beloved  and 
respected  of  all  men.  At  the  same  thne  no 
patricians  were  more  enamoured  of  their  own 
dignity.  They  laboured  for  the  people,  but 
they  kept  their  own  ;  perhaps,  if  the  truth 
were  told,  their  method  was  nothino-  more 
than  pride  feeding  on  craft. 

Our  Fabius  has  the  rich  blood  of  his 
ancestors  in  his  veins,  and  his  veins  are  over- 
flowing. 

Vibullius  is  patrician  also,  but  of  different 
stamp.  Under  the  first  C^sar,  one  of  his 
ancestors  by  his  skill  and  bravery  attained 
to  knightly  rank  and  was  much  esteemed. 
Amongst  other  gifts  he  possessed  that  of  imita- 
tion, and  in  private  life  often  amused  his  friends 
by  his  perfect  mimicries.     The  gift,  unfortu- 


102  TUE    SON   OF   A   STAR 

nately,  became  known  to  the  Dictator,  who 
straightway  commanded  him  to  play  some 
small  mimetic  piece  publicly  in  his  presence. 
The  Dictator  must  be  obeyed,  but  the  obedience 
of  the  noble  knight  was  at  a  sacrifice  which 
Co3sar  himself  could  not  restore.  To  play  a 
part  as  a  public  player  was  a  duty  too  ignoble, 
even  under  command,  to  be  allowed  to  pass 
amongst  the  patricians.  In  humiliation  the 
injured  man  practically  left  Eome  and  Eoman 
society,  and,  as  a  favour,  obtained  permission 
from  Octavius,  the  second  of  the  Caesars  and 
the  first  Emperor,  to  take  the  name  of  Vibullius 
for  his  original  family  name  of  Ambivius.  His 
son,  who  inherited  great  wealth,  owing  to  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  during  his  father's 
enforced  retirement,  became  a  man  designated 
as  one  of  '  softened  pleasures  with  penurious 
failings,'  and  from  him  the  race  was  continued 
in  much  the  same  condition.  Our  Vibullius 
is  of  this  cast.  He  is  courted  for  his  wealth 
more  than  his  rank ;  he  is  trusted  because  he 
takes  care  of  what  he  has  ;  and  he  is  liked 
because,  whilst  he  enjoys  himself,  he  diffuses 
a  charm  of  good  nature,  which  seems  reckless 
but  is  really  under  perfect  control,  round  all 


LAID    LOW   WITH    WmE  103 

with  whom  he  mixes.  He  and  Fabius  anree, 
notwithstanding  their  differences  of  mind  and 
nature.  Fabius  is  learned,  classical,  liberal, 
philosophic,  proud.  Vibullius  is  little  learned, 
is  no  classic,  is  an  aristocrat  in  feeling,  a  tyrant 
at  heart  in  regard  to  the  people,  flippant  in 
mode  of  thought  and  expression,  vain  rather 
than  proud,  but  good-natured,  like  Fabius,  and 
very  good  company. 

Both,  as  far  as  possible,  have  avoided  arms 
as  a  profession.  They  have  got  substitutes 
whenever  they  could  find  them,  and  the  find 
under  the  magic  of  money  has  been  easily  con- 
ceived and  brought  forth. 

Saserna,  the  editor  or  master  of  the 
ceremonies,  is  a  cousin  of  Fabius  by  his 
mother's  side.  His  mother,  with  a  woman's 
weakness,  must  needs  form  a  romantic  attach- 
ment in  her  early  life  with  a  Hercules  named 
Saserna,  who  played  a  somewhat  conspicuous 
part  in  the  court  of  Domitian,  and  who  was 
accredited,  not  without  favour  from  the  people, 
with  having  aided  Domitia  and  Parthenius  in 
their  successful  plot  against  that  Emperor's  life, 
by  coming  in  as  a  gladiator  to  assist  Stephanus, 
the  comptroller  of  the  household,  in  his  fatal 


104  THE  SON   OF   A   STAR 

attack  on  the  hated  tyrant.  This  Saserna, 
under  the  reign  of  Trajan,  rose  into  position 
with  that  monarch,  took  the  editorship  of  his 
ceremonial  affairs  with  great  skill,  and  dying 
at  a  full  age  left  a  son,  our  Saserna,  who,  pos- 
sessing many  of  his  father's  qualities,  is  now 
editor  to  Julius  Severus  in  Britain. 

The  last  man  of  our  group,  Tinnius  Eufus 
Vigilius,  whom  we  already  know  by  sight  and 
name  and  voice,  is,  like-  Saserna,  of  broken 
descent,  but  is  admitted  into  the  charmed 
circle  of  the  empire.  His  uncle,  Vigdius  Rufus, 
had  been  the  colleague  of  the  short-lived 
and  gentle  Emperor  Nerva,  the  successor  of 
Domitian  and  predecessor  of  Trajan,  and  had 
even  opposed  Nerva  for  the  crown.  For- 
given by  Nerva,  Vigilius  still  hoped  for  the 
succession  ;  but  Nerva  left  it  to  Trajan,  who, 
promptly,  sent  the  whole  family,  root  and 
branch,  as  exiles  to  Britain,  where  they  worked 
for  their  bread  as  best  they  could.  Our  man, 
witty,  ready,  good-hearted,  and  possessed  of 
the  rare  art  of  writing  well,  has  become  scribe 
and  comptroller  to  Severus,  and,  known,  by 
name  at  least,  in  every  British-Eoman  camp,  is 
a  universal  favourite,  a  hail-fellow-well-met  sort 


LAID    LOW    WITH   WINE  105 

of  being,  greeted  everywhere,  as  one  wlio,  in 
jest,  can  say  and  sing,  safely,  things  which,  said 
or  sung  in  jest  or  earnest  by  another,  might 
easily  cost  that  other  his  head.  He  is  always 
called  Tinnius  Eufns  by  his  friends  because 
of  his  sounding  jollity,  his  family  name  of 
Vicrilius  beincr  now  almost  forc^otten. 

DO  o 

'  Ecce  Imperator  ! '  exclaims  YibuUius,  as 
Tinnius  enters  his  tent  to  rejoin  his  comrades 
after  he  has  delivered  to  the  mob  his  now 
famous  song.  '  Ecce  Imperator  ! '  bursts  out 
the  rolling  voice  of  Saserna.  '  Thou  didst  thy 
part,  my  Tinnius,  like  an  Emperor.  Had 
Vigilius  thy  uncle  been  as  acute  as  his  name 
made  him  out  to  be,  thou  his  heir  might  have 
worn  the  real  instead  of  the  sham  purple  to- 
night.' 

Rechning  on  their  couches,  the  four  friends 
sip  their  wine,  and  talk  over  the  events  of  the 
day  with  such  absorption  that  the  trumpet- 
call  at  midnight  for  the  camp  to  close  comes 
upon  them  with  a  start. 

They  rise  to  the  call,  and  go  forth  to  see 
the  end  of  the  eventful  day. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  camp  is  closed 
is  a  phenomenon.    Every  man  doing  his  work 


106  THE   SOX   OF   A   STiVR 

always  in  the  same  way,  and  tliat  way  always 
the  best,  the  whole  encampment  at  once  is 
transformed  ;  the  streets  are  cleared ;  the  lamps 
are  extinguished,  at  a  sign,  simultaneously ; 
and  under  the  fading  fire  of  tlie  Pharos  the 
sentinels  are  performing  their  guardianship  as 
if  no  feast  had  ever  been  held. 

'  Give  me  a  Eoman  army  as  a  time-keeper 
and  I  will  challenge  Phoebus  himself  to  keep 
better  time,'  observes  Fabius,  with  true  admi- 
ration of  what  he  has  witnessed. 

But  hark  !  What  noise  is  there,  disturb- 
ing the  dead  silence  which  for  a  brief  interval 
prevails  ? 

Quickly  a  troop  of  horsemen,  fifty  at  least, 
passes  by,  headed  by  an  officer  of  well-known 
skill.  The  troop  makes  for  the  southern  gate- 
way, and  like  a  stone  from  a  catapult  is  out  of 
the  fortress. 

'  What  new  freak  is  this  ?  '  enquires  the 
hasty  Vibullius. 

Saserna  and  Tinnius  may  both  know,  but  if 
they  do  they  are  not  ready  to  tell. 

Saserna  answers  offhand  as  if  it  were,  as 
indeed  to  him  it  is,  a  trifling  episode : — 

'  A  despatch,  perchance,  from  the  Emperor 


LAID    LOW    WITH    WINE  107 

or  Severus  to  another  camp  ;  or  a  scouting 
party  to  watch  some  wretched  native  force 
that  is  threatening  to  rise.' 

It  matters  not,  the  troop  is  gone,  and  the 
friends,  who,  by  their  position  and  rank,  are 
privileged  to  continue  their  pleasure,  resume 
their  places  and  their  discourse.  They  resume 
the  subject  of  their  meeting  during  the  sports 
of  the  previous  day. 

'  I  saw  you  both  enter  the  popularia,' 
observed  Saserna,  '  and  but  for  the  presence 
of  Severus  the  watchful,  I  should  have  made 
you  some  sign  of  recognition.' 

'  Is  Severus  still  the  severe  ? '  asks  Vibullius. 

'  Unchanged  and  unchangeable.  As  stern 
in  the  camp  as  when  he  was  prefect  in  the 
academy  and  we  four  boys  were  under  his 
dominion.  Tinnius  is  always  repeating  what 
you  have  just  hinted,  Vibullius,  that  his  name 
carries  his  nature.  Does  he  ever  slacken, 
Tinnius  you  sly  old  cannibal,  under  that  wine 
of  Cyprus  you  so  freely  supply  him  with  ?  ' 

'  As  Hercules  slackens  under  his  club,  great 
editor.  Wine  makes  Severus  more  severe, 
until  he  suddenly  sinks  dead  under  it  alto- 
gether, a  log  of  a  man.' 


108  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

'  Does  he  never,  when  you  two  are  alone, 
speak  of  the  past  ?  '  enquired  Fabius.  '  Our 
parents  were  all  of  equal  blood  with  his  and 
we  with  him.' 

'With  the  side  blood  of  the  illustrious 
Virgil  flowing  in  your  veins,  distinguished 
Fabius.  But  I  can  tell  you  he  never  speaks 
except  on  business,  in  which  he  is  as  sharp  as 
a  sword-point,  as  hard  as  an  executioner.' 

'  Will  the  ass  know  us  when  he  meets  us, 
Tinnius  ?  '  interposed  Yibullius. 

'  The  ass  will  not  know  you,  for  he  is  a 
dumb  ass,  and  a  blind  ass,  and  a  deaf  ass  to  all 
except  his  own  business,  and  that  is  Severus 
himself  He,  I  am  sure,  recognised  you  to- 
day. The  Emperor  in  his  place  would  have 
sent  for  you,  and  in  the  presence  of  all  the 
people  would  have  folded  you  in  his  embrace. 
He,  true  to  himself,  sat  like  a  stone  and  stared 
like  a  statue.  Perchance  to-morrow  he  will 
ask  me  wliat  you  do  here,  and  if  he  thinks  that 
you  mean  to  stay  he  will  offer  you  some  office 
about  his  person,  for  he  has  a  strange  liking 
to  have  around  him  those  he  knows  and  trusts. 
Beyond  that  not  a  syllable.' 

'  What  did  he  to  the  Emperor,  Saserna  ?  ' 


LAID    LOW    WITH   WINE  109 

'  The  same,  my  Fabius,  as  to  us  all,  his 
duty,  his  bare  duty.  Yet  I  noticed  that 
Hadrian  touched  him  once  in  a  vital  point, 
though  it  was  by  a  mere  arrow  shot  at  a  ven- 
ture.' 

'  About  what  ?  '  all  the  friends  eagerly  wish 
to  know. 

'  The  dark  maiden  who  laid  herself  like  a 
beautiful  sleuthhound  at  Hadrian's  feet.' 

'  The  sorceress  who  went  round  with  old 
hundred  years,  and  cast  out  the  demon,  and 
sang  the  gibberish  to  the  boy  Simeon  as  he 
started  for  the  lower  gods,'  put  in  Tinnius. 
'  But  my  friends  you  have  no  wine,'  and  so 
saying  he  refilled  their  cups  that  they  might 
listen,  with  their  greedy  ears,  more  keenly  to 
Saserna  for  the  vital  point  that  had  been 
touched  in  Severus  the  severe. 

'  It  caught  my  ear.  The  Emperor  asked 
him  who  the  maiden  was,  and  after  getting 
his  reply  twitted  him  with  being  in  love.  And 
mark  you,  my  brothers,  for  once  and  for  the 
only  time  in  my  life  I  saw  Severus  wince.' 

'  Antony  and  Cleopatra  re-enacted,'  ex- 
claims Tinnius.  '  We  will  put  it  into  a  play, 
most  potent  editor,  with  your  assistance.     He 


110  THE    SON    OF    A   STAR 

shall  be  Antony,  tlie  beautiful  sorceress  shall 
be  Cleopatra.  By  Minerva  'twill  be  the  root 
of  a  new  poem.' 

'  And  why  not  ? '  suggests  Fabius.  '  Why 
not,  you  excited  red-beard.  What  is  there 
strange  that  is  not  familiar  in  love  ?  Every 
Cleopatra  has  an  Antony.' 

'  Two  or  three,'  interposed  Tinnius. 

'  Well,  two  or  three,  three  or  four,  four  or 
five,  if  you  like  ;  it  is  by  the  will  of  tlie  gods.' 

'  I  should  say  the  goddesses,'  again  inter- 
rupted the  vivacious  scribe  ;  '  I  should  say  by 
the  order  of  the  goddesses,  my  noble  Roman.' 

'  By  the  goddesses  then,  if  you  will ;  still 
there  is  in  the  fact  no  wonder.' 

'  No  wonder,'  retorts  Tinnius.  '  No  wonder ! 
Why,  I  tell  you,'  and  here  he  struck  the  wine 
table  a  blow  which  stung  his  own  hand  as 
he  poured  out  his  emphatic  sentence,  '  I  tell 
you  I  would  as  soon  expect  to  see  Julius 
Severus  lift  up  the  curtains  of  this  tent  and 
walk  in  here  and  take  that  empty  couch  as 
believe  that  he  should  ever  Ught  on  a 
Cleopatra.' 

The  words  are  scarcely  said,  the  wine  cups 
have  not  ceased  to  ring  on  the  vibrating  table 


LAID    LOW   WITH    WINE  111 

when  the  curtain  rises  and,  to  the  blank 
astonishment  of  them  all,  the  face  and  form  of 
Severus  is  before  thera. 

He  is  divested  now  of  all  robes  and  marks 
of  office.  Attired  in  the  simple  eveninfj  robe 
of  the  Eoman  gentleman,  erect  as  a  pillar 
and  hard  as  marble,  he  stands  before  them  ; 
his  features  finely  chiselled  in  every  line  and 
more  rigid  than  his  body. 

A  man  by  nature  commanding,  and  from 
his  cradle  a  Eoman  soldier  intended  for  com- 
mand, the  form  and  manner  and  will  of  the 
soldier  is  in  every  look  and  movement  evolved 
through  generations  of  liis  kind.  His  ancestors 
had  never  been  of  his  own  rank,  but  from 
father  to  son  they  had  been  centurions,  until 
they  became  so  by  natural  birthright  and 
claimed  their  own  with  unswerving  zeal  and 
confidence.  In  the  days  of  Julius  Ceesar, 
Labienus,  one  of  the  family,  having  proved 
himself  an  admirable  shipbuilder  by  rapidly 
reconstructing  at  Dola  a  battered  squadron 
that  had  conveyed  Caesar  from  Gaul,  was  left 
in  Britain,  with  a  higher  command,  to  pene- 
trate far  westward  into  the  island,  and  con- 
quer along  his  way  until  he  met  the  sea  on 


112  THE    SOX    OF    A   STAR 

the  western  side.  He  did  it,  and  the  work  was 
done  so  well  that  superior  rank  was  awarded 
to  him  and  Julius  was  added  to  his  name. 

It  was,  however,  reserved  for  the  man  who 
stands  now  before  us  to  make  the  most  notable 
mark  in  arms  and  name,  and  to  achieve  a 
position,  viceregal  in  quality,  as  governor  of 
the  province  which  his  ancestor  had  fought 
and  overcome.  Detailed,  in  the  early  part  of 
his  career,  to  hold  with  two  hundred  men  a 
strong  fortalice  of  stone  while  his  general  in 
command  went  out  with  the  main  body  of 
the  troops  to  find  and  vanquish  a  formidable 
native  force  that  had  collected  in  Siluria,  he 
was  po  suddenly  surrounded  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing body  of  the  enemy  that  escape  and  defence 
seemed  equally  impossible.  Three  parts  out 
of  four  of  his  fortress  were  invested,  the  fourth 
part  not  immediately  in  danger  being  a  lofty 
hill  which  formed  the  back  of  his  quarry. 

In  an  hour  his  plan  of  action  was  matured, 
and  the  order  went  forth  as  the  night  shut  off 
the  foe  and  checked  the  complete  investment. 
'  Let  one  hundred  men  cut  through  that  hill  a 
tunnel  of  sufficient  size  for  one  man  to  pass  ; 
but  conceal  the  escape  on  the  opposite  side. 


LAID   LOW   WITH   WINE  113 

Let  the  rest  destroy  every  roof  and  wall  within 
the  fortress  that  might  afford  covering  or 
shelter.' 

By  the  following  morning's  dawn  the  tunnel 
was  complete.  Then,  giving  orders  that  every 
man  should  be  ready  to  obey  his  word  to 
enter  the  tunnel  and  pass  out  of  it  in  line,  he 
himself  mounting  the  gateway  of  the  fortress 
signalled  to  the  enemy  to  bring  them  within 
call. 

Assuming  the  role  of  a  young  and  alarmed 
sentinel  who  had  been  coerced  into  the  armv, 
and  speaking  to  the  ambassadors  in  their  own 
language,  which  he  had  completely  mastered, 
he  offered  to  admit  them  all  at  the  crate  while 
his  comrades  still  slept,  if  they  would  let  him, 
without  any  weapon,  run,  afterwards,  for  his 
hfe. 

The  bait  took  ;  the  native  force  was  drawn 
as  quickly  as  possible  towards  the  gate  of  the 
little  fortress,  and  so  soon  as  the  assumed  sen- 
tinel had  got  his  men  ready  for  their  exit  by 
the  tunnel  and  on  their  way  to  it,  he  himself 
throwing  open  the  gate  escaped  as  promised 
into  the  rear  of  the  enemy. 

The  witless  host  swept  in  slowly  through 

VOL.  I.  I 


114  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

the  narrow  gateway,  to  find  not  one  lance  or 
sword  to  oppose  them.  In  momentary  triumph 
they  wondered  wliat  had  liappened.  But  they 
only  waited  for  their  doom. 

'  A  cave !  a  cave  !'  they  cried, '  the  Eomans 
have  hidden  in  a  cave  ! ' 

Impetuously  they  enter,  and  some  of  them 
creep  along  the  floor  of  the  cave  until  in 
darkness  they  try  to  turn  back  to  tell  that 
there  seems  no  enemy  there,  except  darkness 
and  suffocating  air.  The  check  created  a 
panic,  and  a  resolve  of  the  enemy  to  return 
to  the  open  plain. 

It  was  too  late.  The  besiegers  were  the 
besieged.  By  the  time  they  had  discovered 
the  trick  that  had  been  played  on  them  fifty 
Eoman  soldiers  were  at  the  outer  portal  slay- 
ing instantly  every  man  who  tried  to  escape 
through  its  narrow  space,  while  a  small  body 
of  sappers  at  the  free  end  of  the  tunnel 
closed  that  so  strongly  with  earth  that  no 
vent  was  there.  Locked  in  the  strongly  built 
prison  with  no  means  to  scale  its  bare  and 
lofty  walls,  with  no  means  to  concentrate 
more  than  ten  men  at  most  at  the  porta], 
against  a  drilled  troop  on  the  other  side,  they 


LAID    LOW   WITH   WINE  115 

soon  found  themselves  stoned  from  the  sHngrs 
.  of  the  Romans  with  such  vehemence  that  they 
were  enveloped  in  a  shower  of  missiles  falling 
from  tremendous  heights  like  massive  hail- 
stones, from  which  there  was  no  shelter,  and 
which  wounded  and  killed  all  on  whom  they 
fell.  In  the  panic  they  closed  on  each  other, 
and  soon  the  Eoman  swordsmen  boldly  re- 
entering the  gate  finished  the  deadly  work 
which  the  shngers  had  commenced. 

The  helplessly  terrified  victims  who  re- 
mained prayed  for  mercy.  They  prayed  in 
vain.  Severus,  who  had  himself  slain  a  little 
hecatomb,  commanded  that  two  only  sliould 
live,  the  two  men  with  whom  he  had  par- 
leyed and  who  had  promised  him  his  liberty 
and  his  life,  and  these  were  led  forth,  not  out 
of  any  pity  or  care  for  tlieir  lives,  but  that 
they  might  run  and  tell  to  their  people  liow  a 
new  Eoman  general  had  risen  whose  skill  was 
equal  to  his  cruelty  and  his  courageous  craft. 

Henceforth  the  Eoman  strategist,  so  cun- 
ning and  so  merciless,  was  made  to  assume  a 
new  name,  which  attached  itself  to  him  until 
he  was  bound  to  accept  it  whether  he  liked  it 
or  not.     It  suited  his  nature  to  its  very  core 

I  2 


116  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

to  like  and  adopt  the  name,  and  from  that 
day  Julius  Labienus  was  known  by  all  men  as 
Julius  Severus. 

Tlie  news  of  his  stratagem  reached  Eome, 
and  was  hailed  there  as  a  triumphant  achieve- 
ment. This  was  good  for  Severus.  The 
news  of  the  stratagem  penetrated  everywhere 
through  the  native  tribes  of  Britain,  and  that 
was  good  for  Eome.  So  far  from  bearinii 
enmity  to  the  man  for  what  he  had  done,  the 
native  enemy  revered  his  cunning  and  his 
courage.  It  struck  them  with  an  admiring 
fear,  and  made  Julius  Severus  himself  worth 
a  legion  to  the  Eoman  arms.  The  place  where 
his  victory  was  won  he  converted  into  a 
tumulus  called  '  the  cave  of  the  slain,'  or 
sometimes  the  tomb  by  Severus. 

Upon  the  mind  of  Marcus  Aurcliuo/  who  uctwx. 
was  Emperor  when  this  event  occurred,  the 
victory  of  Severus  told  badly.  But  Trajan, 
who  soon  afterwards  succeeded,  was  very 
differently  influenced.  This  fighting  prince 
saw  in  Severus  a  soldier  who  knew  his  own 
mind  and  carried  out  his  own  desires  with  the 
mercilessness  of  fate,  a  man  of  men  for  sub- 
duing  and  rulinjT  savage  hordes.     So,  under 


LAID   LOAY    WITH    WI^'E  117 

Trajan,  Severus  found  ample  scope  for  his  skill 
and  food  for  his  ambition.  Kept  in  command 
of  one  of  the  most  remote  of  the  Eomaii 
possessions,  he  was  safe  from  disturbing  tlie 
ruhng  power  at  home ;  while  in  his  own 
sphere  he  was,  in  every  practical  sense,  nu 
Emperor.  He  knew  his  place,  kept  it,  and 
made  it  respected  and  feared  by  the  exercise 
of  the  severest  will  blended  with  the  severest 
justice. 

Until  civilisation  breeds  and  nourishes 
philanthropy  as  the  hght  of  the  world,  such 
men  as  Julius  Severus  always  rule  best,  and 
on  the  whole,  perhaps,  most  humanely.  Tliey 
rule  through  perfect  fear,  and,  until  perfect  love 
casteth  out  fear,  they  will  never  be  deposed. 

We  see  this  man  now  before  us  more 
closely  than  when  he  sat  in  the  seat  of  state 
<  of  the  Circus  Britannicus.  He  is  forty  years 
old.  He  is  at  this  moment  effecting  a  new 
and  startling  strategy,  and  we  who  have  the 
privilege  to  know  his  secret  may  tell  it.  He 
comes  ostensibly  to  greet  in  an  informal  way 
his  two  old  schoolfellows,  whom  he  has 
detected  as  fresh  from  Eome.  He  comes 
actually  to  hear  from  them  in  their  accidental 


118  THE    SOX    OF    A   STAR 

gossipings  the  state  of  Eome  and  the  position 
of  Hadrian  in  the  minds  of  the  Roman  people. 
Severus  is  in  his  prime  as  a  soldier ;  Hadrian 
somewhat  past  his  prime,  is  not  a  soldier. 
Is  the  empire  falling  to  pieces,  disintegrating, 
under  a  more  benign  but  less  conquering 
power  than  existed  during  Trajan's  brief  but 
glorious  rule  ? 

In  plain  thoughts,  has  Julius  Severus  any- 
chance  for  the  imperial  purple  ? 

A  Eoman  less  severe  than  he,  though 
holding  higher  dignity,  on  entering  into  the 
company  of  two  old  friends  whom  he  has  not 
seen  for  many  years,  would  greet  them  with  the 
kiss  of  friendship,  would  enquire  after  their 
health,  their  home,  their  family,  their  friends. 

With  Severus  no  such  kindly  ceremony  is 
either  expected  or  offered. 

In  the  quarters  of  every  superior  person  ; 
in  the  Eoman  camp  there  is  provided  a  chair 
or  couch  of  state,  called  emphatically  the 
'  empty  couch.'  It  is  reserved  exclusively  for 
the  father  of  the  people,  for  him  who  governs, 
just  as  in  a  private  house  the  couch  or  seat 
of  the  father  of  the  house  is  retained  for  him 
alone. 


LAID   LOW   WITH   WINE  119 

In  these  quarters  of  Tinnius  Eufus  the 
comptroller  the  seat  of  honour  is  of  course 
there,  and  though  it  has  never  been  filled  it  is 
always  brought  forth.  Symbolically  the  sire 
or  ruler  is  always  at  the  feast,  be  it  ever  so 
rich,  ever  so  homely. 

To  that  seat  with  all  the  dignity  of  hie 
office  Severus  moves,  and  takes  it  without  a 
word ;  the  head  and  master  of  the  school- 
boy group  once  more- 

The  wine  continues  to  pass,  and  gradually 
amongst  the  old  friends  a  warm  but  less 
animated  conversation  ensues,  to  which 
Severus  listens,  but  in  which,  except  by  a  nod 
or  a  word  or  two  like  Yes  and  No,  he  takes 
no  part.  But,  in  one  respect  he  more  than 
joins  the  rest. 

The  wine  with  which  the  liberal  comp- 
troller freely  supplies  him  suits  his  palate,  and 
of  it  he  drinks  with  a  kind  of  savage  greed, 
until  at  length,  after  a  larger  draught  than 
ordinary,  his  hard  features  become  imbecile, 
his  head  drops  on  his  chest,  and  he  falls,  as 
the  comptroller  said,  hke  Hercules  on  his  club, 
a  helpless  log  of  human  flesh  and  bone. 

*  He  is  off,'  observes  Tinnius,  '  so  dead  off 


120  THE    SON    OF    A   STAR 

that  we  might  if  we  hked  put  him  through 
tlie  fire  and  into  liis  urn,  and  he  be  none  the 
wiser.' 

'  It  was  our  conversation  about  the  Jewish 
sorceress  whicli  made  him  expedite  this 
quotidian  fit  by  that  copious  finishing  draught,' 
remarks  Sasenia. 

And  therewith  follows  a  consultation  as  to 
what  is  to  be  done. 

'  We  must  bear  him  gently  and  quietly  to 
his  quarters,'  explains  Tinnius.  'In  eight 
hours  he  will  be  the  same  Severus  as  he  was 
in  the  tribune,  with  a  little  more  of  the  demon 
mocking  him  into  severity.' 

Practised  hands  in  all  works  connected 
with  the  camp,  the  friends,  in  a  few  moments, 
lit  up  an  ambulance  or  litter  from  the  spears 
which  stand  around.  They  lash  the  spears 
together  into  the  litter,  cover  it  with  the  skin 
of  a  leopard  which  lies  over  the  back  of  one 
of  the  couches,  then  folding  the  body  of  the 
vice-emperor  in  the  folds,  with  a  cushion  for  his 
head,  Fabius  and  Vibullius  hoist  him  on  their 
shoulders,  and  following  Tinnius  and  followed 
by  Saserna  move  rapidly  and  noiselessly 
towards  their  destination. 


LAID    LOW   WITH    WIXE  121 

By  this  time  all  the  camp  is  at  rest  except 
the  sentinels,  who  keep  up  their  unwearied 
watch,  and  who  are  doubly  strong  at  the 
quarters  where  slaves  and  foreigners  reside. 

Tlie  stars  alone  give  light,  the  winds  alone 
give  motion. 

The  bearers  of  Severus  traverse  almost  the 
entire  length  of  the  central  street  of  the  camp. 
They  pass  the  silent  tent  of  the  Emperor, 
around  which  the  sentinels  stand,  like  statues, 
in  absolute  rest.  They  pass  the  tent  of  the 
physician  of  the  Emperor,  the  learned  Ascle- 
pias  Tryphonius,  usually  called  Tryphon. 
They  pass  the  newly  erected  and  singular 
tents  of  the  various  scholars,  engineers,  and 
mechanics,  who  invariably  accompany  the 
Emperor  wherever ■  he  goes,  and  in  whose 
discourse  he  finds  his  chief  dehght. 

As  they  approach  the  quarters  of  Severus, 
which  lie  outside  the  encampment,  in  more 
permanent  structure  than  any  in  the  rest  of 
the  camp — a  Eoman  villa  in  point  of  fact — 
they  observe  in  one  tent  a  single  light  and 
some  sign  of  movement  within.  It  is  the  only 
tent  that  has  given  the  faintest  indication  of 
the  hfe  that  nestles  in  its  walls. 


122  THE    SOX    OF    A   STAR 

It  is  the  tent  of  Fidelis  the  centurion  of  a 
hundred  years. 

Fabius  and  Vibulhus,  anxious  to  complete 
their  task,  step  after  Tinnius  rapidly.  Saserna 
follows,  but  having  less  cause  for  hurry  waits 
for  a  moment.  His  curiosity,  always  keen,  is 
awakened  by  the  light  and  the  movement  in 
the  old  man's  quarters,  and  as  he  approaches 
them  he  draws  himself  near  to  the  entrance 
wondering  what  is  going  on  within. 

As  he  waits  the  canvas  doors  of  the  tent 
open,  and  there  steps  quietly  out  into  the  night 
a  stranger  whom,  from  his  garb,  a  long  flow- 
ing dark  robe,  he,  with  some  hesitation,  at 
last  decides  to  be  the  Archiater  or  Emperor's 
physician,  the  renowned  Tryphon. 

Saluting  so  great  a  person  with  deep 
reverence,  the  editor  enquires,  with  becoming 
respect,  whether  anything  has  befallen  Fidelis 
that  has  called  for  the  skill  of  the  physician. 

'  I  came,'  replies  Tryphon,  '  as  one  search- 
ing for  all  knowledge  of  hidden  things.  I 
came  to  the  tent  of  Fidelis  the  centurion,  to 
see  with  my  own  eyes,  to  listen  with  my  own 
ears,  and  to  touch  with  my  own  hands,  one 
who  has  hved  a  hundred  years.     I  wished  to 


LAID    LOW   WITH    WINE  123 

feel  the  pulses  of  so  strange  a  man ;  but  above 
all  I  desired  to  learn  from  his  lips  by  what 
art  he  had  attained  to  such  an  enduring  life.' 

'A  noble  research,  most  learned  Tryphon, 
if  I  may  venture  to  call  thee,  so  much  my 
senior,  by  thy  familiar  name.' 

'  'Tis  the  name  I  most  love,  my  son,' 
responds  the  Archiater,  '  for  'tis  the  name  my 
good  parents  left  me,  and  'twas  their  great 
wealth.  But  speaking  of  tliis  task  of  mine 
thou  dost  overrate  its  worth.  The  physician 
has  two  duties  ever  on  his  hands :  the  one  to 
the  sick  man  who  is  under  his  care,  the  other 
to  the  world  at  large  over  which  also  his  skill 
ranges.  It  is  his  duty,  as  the  wisest  man 
of  my  people  teaches,  to  seek  and  know  all 
things  that  happen  under  the  sun  :  this  sore 
travail  hath  God  given  to  the  sons  of  men 
to  be  exercised  therewith.' 

'  A  noble  duty  nobly  expounded,  Tryphon. 
No  wonder  is  it  that  thy  imperial  master 
keeps  thee  as  the  apple  of  his  eye  ;  but  pray 
tell  me  of  this  old  centurion,  what  thinkest 
thou  of  him?' 

'A  wonderful  remnant  of  a  human  soul 
and  body,  Saserna,  for  thy  voice  carries  thy 


124  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

name  ;  a  wonderful  remnant  of  a  human  soul 
in  human  form,  of  whom  let  me  speak  to  thee 
in  parable.  Dost  thou  remember  near  to  Rome 
a  lofty  pedestal  at  the  foot  of  the  Aventine 
liills?' 

'  I  remember  it  well ;  it  was  raised  by  our 
great  fathers  of  the  state  to  the  goddess  of 
health,  Salus,  and  it  stood  there  for  ages 
defying  time.' 

'  It  did,  but  now  knowest  thou  its  fate  ? ' 

'  Not  more  than  I  have  told  you,  illustrious 
healer ! ' 

'  Then  I  will  tell  you  more.  One  morning, 
a  month  or  so  ere  we  left  Rome  for  this 
remote  island,  that  statue  stood  in  all  its 
apparent  strength  and  in  all  its  beauty.  It 
was  the  day  of  the  festival  dedicated  to  the 
i^oddess,  and  in  honour  of  the  event  a  smart 
and  handsome  youth  was  chosen  to  climb  the 
statue  and  place  a  garland  on  her  brow.  A 
hundred  tinles  before  the  same  ceremony 
had  been  performed  ;  again  the  rite  was  fully 
carried  out,  and  again  at  night  the  sun  cast 
his  parting  rays  on  the  garlanded  Salus, 
But  in  the  night  there  rose  a  storm,  and 
when  the  sun  threw  his  glory  once  more  on 


LAID    LOW   WITH    WIXE  125 

the  charmed  spot  the  statue  of  Salus  lay  as 
dust  at  the  foot  of  its  crumbhng  pedestal,  the 
garland  buried  in  the  ruins.' 

'  Alas !  alas !  And  is  that  tlie  fate  of 
Fidehs  ? ' 

'  It  is.  The  light  crown  which  Severus  put 
on  the  old  man's  head  yesterday  has  borne 
him  to  the  earth.' 

'  Dead  ?  '  exclaimed  Saserna. 

'No,  not  dead,  but  in  his  last  hours;  a 
centurion  still :  yet  in  the  bonds  of  death  and 
past  my  art  to  save.' 

'  Will  he  Hve  long  ?  ' 

'Not  to  see  the  full  glory  of  the  day, 
Saserna.  When  the  symbol  of  your  Eoman 
god  Apollo,  the  symbol  of  his  everlasting 
existence,  his  yes,  his  great  I  am,  the  eternal 
sun,  is  longest  away  from  the  earth  tlie 
feeble  of  the  sons  of  men,  though  they  were 
once  the  strongest,  depart  before  the  breath 
of  his  rising  and  are  no  more.     Farewell ! ' 

And  gathering  up  his  robe  the  Archiater 
turns  back  from  Saserna  to  seek  his  own  place 
by  the  side  of  the  Cassar  he  so  faithfully  serves. 

For  a  brief  period  Saserna,  wholly  absorbed 
in  the  parable  he  has  heard,  stands  at  the  door 


126  THE    SOX    OF   A   STAR 

of  Fidelis.  He  would  enter  liad  he  not  been 
arrested  by  the  gentle  voice  of  Iluldah,  who 
seems  to  him  to  commence  singing  to  the 
God  of  her  faith  a  prayer  she  has  turned  into 
the  Latin  tongue  to  make  it  more  familiar  to 
the  dying  Eoman. 

*  Wait !  wait  1  for  the  Lord  ; 
Let  thy  soul  wait  for  the  Lord, 
And  trust  thou  in  His  word. 
Wait  thou  for  the  Lord 
More  than  the  watchers  wait 
Who  look  out  for  the  dawn, 
For  the  dawn,  for  the  dawn  of  day.' 

'  It  is  as  if  she  were  sing;infy  a  babe  to  its 
sleep  with  her  foot  upon  its  cradle,'  muses 
the  editor  ;  '  and  so  she  sings  that  infant  of 
a  hundred  years  to  his  eternal  rest.  But  to 
which  of  the  immortal  gods  she  chants  I  trow 
not.  Jove  is  not  chaste  enough,  Mars  is  too 
savage.  It  must  be  to  the  God  of  her  own 
people  to  whom  was  built  the  gorgeous 
temple  which  Vespasian  laid  in  ruins,  with 
the  city  called  Jerusalem  in  which  it  stood, 
and  near  to  which  Fidelis  was  born.' 

And,  continuing  his  musing  but  not  daring 
to  break  the  divine  song,  Saserna,  with  the 
words  still  on  his  ear : — 


LAID    LOW    WITH   WINE  127 

*  Wait  I  wait !  for  the  Lord  ; 
Let  thy  soul  wait  for  the  Lord, 
And  trust  thou  in  His  word,' 

follows  rapidly  his  friends  to  the  villa  of 
Severiis. 

He  passes  through  a  passage  in  the  pine 
wood,  reaches  the  threshold  of  the  residence 
and,  after  lighting  his  lamp  quickly  with  flint 
and  steel,  enters  the  first  court  in  which 
persons  who  come  on  business  are  received. 
Crossing  this  he  ascends  by  two  steps  to  the 
middle  court,  where  favoured  guests  are  per- 
mitted to  enter.  Thence  he  passes  into  a  third 
court,  on  the  right  of  which  is  the  sleeping 
room  of  the  man  laid  low  with  wine,  and 
treading  noiselessly  joins  his  comrades  there, 
to  give  them,  if  need  be,  any  assistance  they 
may  require. 

The  house,  or  as  it  is  commonly  called  the 
Court  of  Severus,  is  the  type  of  the  Eoman 
dwelling,  like  that  in  which  Sallust  lived  in  his 
day,  but  changed  a  little  to  suit  the  variable 
and  sometimes  severe  climate  of  Britain.  It 
is  built  within  the  ever-green  pine  wood,  the 
branches  of  which  both  shelter  and  purify  it. 
It  is  furnished  to  suit  not  so  much  the  taste  as 


128  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

the  service  of  its  master.     It  is  literally  filled 
with  the  various  requirements  of  the  soldier : 
armour,    arms,    movable    folding    tents,  and 
everything  that  is  portable  and  useful  in  the 
field.     The  middle  part,  used  for  the  recep- 
tion of  visitors  by  most  Eomans,  is  here   a 
museum  and  library.     Its  walls  are  covered 
with  maps  of  the  country,  of  towns,  rivers, 
plains,  roads  and  harbours.     It  is  Britain  con- 
densed to  the  eyes  of  its  master ;  whilst  its 
floor  is  strewn  with  trophies  and  relics  of  various 
campaigns,  ranged  in  order,  but  not  in  such 
order  that  a  stranger  would  understand  them. 
Adjoining  the  room  in  which  the  now  helpless 
warrior  sleeps,  the  sleep  of  wine,  is  the  hot-air 
or  Eoman  bath,  in  which  the  people  of  Eome, 
losing  by  this  time  their  rude  strength,   are 
besinninof  to  indulo;e  with  too  wanton  indul- 
o-ence.     Each  Eoman  who  can  afford  it  has 
now  his  hot-air  bath,  the  Emperor  excepted, 
and  Severus  following  the  custom  has  his  in 
his  own  house.     To  him  the  bath  is  a  saving 
remedy.     In  it  he  evaporates  off  into  the  air 
the  fumes  of  the   one   and  only  enemy  that 
even  laid  him  low. 

Ere  Saserna  arrives  the  friends  have  re- 


LAID    LOW   WITH    WINE  129 

moved  the  insensible  Severus  from  the  ambu- 
lance, '  have  skinned  the  leopard,'  as  Tinnius 
profanely  remarks,  and  have  laid  him  on  his 
own  couch  as  dense  a  log  as  ever. 

'  Take  care,'  continues  Tinnius,  '  take  care 
that  you  move  nothing  to  show  you  have 
entered  his  sepulchre,  and  carry  away  care- 
fully the  skin  and  the  spears.  He  will  wake 
up  then,  tliinking  he  got  home  of  his  own  will 
and  strength.' 

They  follow  the  injunction  to  the  letter  ; 
leave  in  his  degraded  glory  the  leader  of 
Roman  Britain  to  fight  his  most  fatal  foe ; 
and  return  to  the  home  of  Tinnius  just  as 
the  day  is  beginning  to  dawn. 


VOL.  I. 


130  THE   SON    OF    A    STAR 


CHAPTER  IX. 

INTERPOSITION. 

We  see  by  tlie  liistory  of  the  last  chapter  how 
some  favoured  ones  of  theEoman  camp  ended 
the  festivity  of  the  preceding  day.  But  there 
are  others  under  our  care,  and  one  especially 
whose  course  and  fate  must  claim  our  close 
and  immediate  attention. 

The  masses  went  their  usual  way,  to  discuss 
the  events  they  had  seen,  to  sleep  over  them, 
and  hope  for  a  return  of  a  similar  excitement. 

Do  they  not  bestow  one  human  thought 
on  tliat  wretched  victim  of  their  mirth,  who 
was  made  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  fire  ? 

Is  there  no  touch  of  human  sympathy  for 
liim  ? 

Not  a  touch  !     Not  a  touch  ! 

The  eras  of  Augustus  and  of  his  successors, 
grand  as  they  may  be,  are  eras  of  the  savage 


INTERPOSITION  1  3  1 

man,  of  tragedy  in  earnest,  of  martyrdom  in 
sport,  and  of  life  altogether,  as  the  dying 
Augustus  himself  defined  it,  life  in  comedy,  in 
which  the  comedy  of  pain  plays  the  choicest 
part. 

To  this  civilisation  the  fate  of  Simeon  the 
living  torch  is  so  small  a  subject  of  sympatliy 
that  the  majority  of  the  masses  are  inclined 
to  complain  because  the  whim  of  the  Emperor 
permitted  the  youth  to  escape  into  the  open 
country.  Had  Severus  retained  command,  the 
torch  might  have  been  run  in  the  large  arena, 
round  and  round,  until  it  had  blazed  out. 
Then,  half-cooked  for  ravening  wolves  or 
bears,  it  might  have  been  left  in  a  fenced  ring 
to  fight  with  the  animals  one  by  one,  until, 
imable  to  fight  more,  it  yielded  up  its  body 
to  their  devouring  jaws. 

Whether,  as  it  is,  he,  the  running  torch,  is 
suffocated  in  the  smoke  which  rose  from  his 
body,  or  is  roasted  alive,  or  is  lying  like  a 
hunted  deer  in  ditch,  or  field,  cr  fence,  to  die 
by  inches,  is,  to  the  masses,  not  worthy  of  a 
passing  thought. 

In  a  select  few,  however,  his  fate  excites  a 
different,  if  not  a  better  feeling. 

K  2 


132  THE    SON    OF    A    STAR 

In  Hadrian  it  excites  a  mystery  which  he 
trusts  to  time  to  explain. 

In  Severus  it  excites  doubt,  wliich  he 
likes  not,  and  which  he  is  anxious  to  solve. 
At  his  command  that  troop  of  liorse  wliich 
called  the  companions  of  Tinnius  Rufus  out  of 
the  tent  has  gone  forth  to  find  the  torch  or  his 
remains. 

In  Huldah  does  it  excite  no  cause  of  con- 
cern, no  anxiety? 

Strangest  even  of  all !     None  ! 

Her  soul  communes  with  higher  powers 
than  men.  She  is  a  woman  of  faith  that  will 
remove  mountains.  She  not  only  believes,  but 
she  knows  that  he  whom  she  bade  o-q  on  in 
the  name  she  sang,  and  with  the  promises  she 
delivered  in  tliat  lioly  name,  is  under  such 
shelter  that  he  will  take  no  harm.  Literally, 
to  her  faithful  eye,  Simeon  would  go  through 
the  fire  and  not  be  burned,  through  the 
waters  and  not  be  overwhelmed. 

Could  he  who  was  fore-known,  fore-or- 
dained ere  ever  the  seas  or  the  earth  were 
made,  or  the  light  was  separated  from  the 
darkness  ;  could  he  be  left  to  perish  ?  The  very 
doubt  were  a  sin,  infamous  and  unpardonable. 


INTERPOSITION  133 

against  the  God  of  her  race,  whose  promises 
are  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever. 

She,  moreover,  has  two  otlier  cares,  which 
occupy  her  thoughts. 

Milo,  the  owner  of  the  Numidian  out  of 
whom  she  had  cast  the  evil  one  ;  Milo,  disgusted 
with  the  infirmity  of  his  man-brute,  has  deter- 
mined to  sell  the  creature,  at  an  immense  loss, 
to  some  young  Eomans  who  intend  next  day 
to  have  him  baited  again  for  the  Emperor's 
private  sport  and  theirs.  If  sold  to  them,  he 
is  to  fight  more  wolves  with  that  massive 
club,  and  wagers  run  high  on  the  event. 

The  spirit  that  guides  Huldah  tells  her, 
without  being  asked,  that  the  Numidiau  must 
be  saved. 

She  requires  no  further  prompting.  Some- 
times, when  she  seeks  the  aid  of  the  spirit 
from  her  own  earthly  wishes,  she  doubts  the 
nature  of  the  response  ;  it  is  ambiguous,  it 
leaves  too  much  to  her  judgment,  and  is  not 
of  faith.  Then  her  heart  is  weak,  and  her 
mind  is  borne  down.  But  when  the  spirit 
speaks  of  itself,  when  it  saj's,  without  being 
consulted,  do  this  thing  straightway,  there  is 
no  doubt,  no  delay.   To  save  this  man  is  there- 


13-1  THE   SO.N    or   A    STAR 

fore  her  first  care  and  duty  ;  but  she  lias  yet 
anotlier  care  almost  as  pressing  and  severe. 

On  her  return  to  the  tent  of  Fidelis,  after 
leaving  the  Circus  Britannicus,  she  finds  Fidelis, 
<-ompletely  prostrated  by  the  events  of  the  day, 
lying  on  his  couch,  talking  of  men  and  things 
of  whom  she  has  no  knowledge,  as  if  she  under- 
stood him. 

The  experience  is  new  to  her :  she  has 
never  seen  Fidelis  tired  or  lying  down  except 
at  his  usual  hour  for  rest ;  she  has  never 
heard  him  talk  in  that  garrulous  way;  she 
has  never  before  known  him  refuse  to  listen  to 
her  words  of  affection  and  trust,  as  he  does 
now. 

She  has  a  duty  to  fulfil  to  this  father  of 
fathers,  and  she  has  a  duty  to  fulfil  to  the  man 
whom  she  has  released  from  the  power  of  the 
devil.  To  these  duties  she  lends  herself  with 
a  devotion  which  none  but  a  nature  such  as 
hers  could  put  forth. 

In  the  midst  of  all  Simeon  remains  on  her 
mind,  yet  neither  with  anxiety  nor  fear.  He 
is  her  true  soul's  care,  but  the  Holy  One  is  with 
him. 

'  Why,'  she  asks  herself,  '  why,  whenever  I 


INTERPOSITION  13-3 

think  of  him,  should  tlie  spirit,  my  spirit,  s;iy 
these  promises  to  me  but  to  assure  me?  ' 

And  so  she  is  led  to  trust  and  perfect 
peace. 

Oh !  happy  they  who,  relying  on  such  sure 
foundation,  found  their  every  hope  on  the 
God  of  their  salvation. 

Perchance,  too,  these  favoured  ones  have 
their  soul's  peace  resting  on  natural  law. 
Perchance,  in  time,  wise  men  will  discover  in 
vital  physics,  and  in  the  destinies  accomplished 
by  them,  that  by  natural  ordinance,  respecting 
Avhich  there  shall  be  no  mystery,  some  of  the 
earth  are  ordained  thus  to  Hve  in  immediate 
communication  with  the  eternal  energy  which 
fills  all  life  and  speaks  to  the  human  heart 
through  the  human  soul. 

To  us,  at  all  events,  let  Huldah  remain 
divinely  assured  that  her  beloved  is,  as  she 
believes,  protected  by  the  promise  and  tlie 
power  that  none  can  overcome. 

Let  us  also,  leaving  her  for  the  time  to  her 
beneficent  tasks,  resting  on  her  pi-omises  and 
cherishing  them,  follow  him  upon  whom  her 
heart  is  fixed,  and  see  how  far  her  faith  is  ful- 
filled. 


136  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

To  effect  this  change  in  our  programme  it  is 
necessary  for  us  to  go  back  to  the  time  when 
Simeon,  as  the  running  torch,  was  led  out  to 
meet  his  great  and  fearful  ordeal. 

Our  minds  thus  diverted  naturally  return 
to  the  strange  and  noble-looking  man,  who, 
with  his  angelic  child,  sat  in  the  circus  and 
wondered  at  the  pleasure  testified  at  so  much 
sin  and  pain.  With  infinite  anguish,  which  but 
for  gentle  outlets  of  tears  had  broken  their 
hearts,  the  two  had  sat  out  the  battle  be- 
tween Simeon,  the  Numidian,  and  the  wolves. 
They  had  watched  with  untold  wonder  and 
relief  the  episode  of  the  power  of  the  dark  and 
beautiful  Huldah,  rising  from  the  feet  of  the 
Emperor,  upon  whom  they  looked  with  little 
favour,  to  accompany  Simeon  the  condemned 
with  cymbal  and  inspiring  song.  Towards  her 
they  turned  their  eyes  with  pious  admiration, 
esteeming  her  as  a  being  not  only  beautiful,  but 
endowed  with  supernatural  gifts  and  qualities. 

But  when  tliey  fully  understood  the  fate 
that  was  in  store  for  the  youth,  so  handsome 
and  so  brave,  their  hearts  gave  way  altogether. 
They  had  not  conceived  it  possible  that  an  act 
so  foul  could  be  committed  ;  and,  powerless  to 


INTERrOSlTION  137 

arrest  the  iniquity,  they  did  the  best  they 
could  to  show  their  utter  detestation  of  it. 
They  bound  up  their  sandals,  gathered  their 
robes  around  them,  and  left  the  accursed  place 
for  ever. 

When  they  had  reached  the  outside  of  the 
grand  circus,  and  saw  once  more  the  distant 
hills  l)efore  them,  the  sobbing  child  found 
relief  in  words. 

'  Will  they,  dearest  father,'  asks  the  sweet 
voice,  '  will  they  truly  set  on  fire  him  who 
has  done  no  wrong  and  been  so  generous  ? 
Will  they  indeed  make  his  poor  body  a  torch 
of  living  fire  for  their  wicked  sport  and  plea- 
sure ? ' 

'  Alas !  my  child,  I  fear  they  will  do,  even 
with  deliglit,  whatever  that  monster  human 
god  who  rules  over  them  may  choose  to  com- 
mand.' 

'  And  can  we,  dearest,  do  nothing  to  save 
him  ?  ' 

'  I  have  been  forecasting  that  hope,  my 
own,  and  foresee  an  opportunity.  If  he  can 
leap  the  pit  and  run  with  sufficient  speed  across 
the  valley  leading  from  the  eastern  gate  of  the 
circus ;   if  he  can  climb  yonder  hill ;    if  he 


138  THE    SON    OF   A    STAR 

can  reach  on  the  other  side  that  pool  on  tlie 
bank  of  which  we  said  our  morning  prayers 
to  the  fountain  of  hght  and  love  ;  and,  if  into 
that  pool  he  can  plunge,  his  danger  might 
be  over.  Thither  we  will  hasten  to  guide  and 
help  liim.' 

'  But  what  if  from  weakness  he  should  sink 
before  he  reaches  the  pool  ? ' 

'  We  may  even  then  see  some  plan  by 
which  to  aid  him.  But  let  us  away.'  And, 
with  the  swiftness  of  spirits,  they  seem  to  fly, 
until  they  arrive  at  the  little  hike  over  the 
risino"  crround  on  which  their  minds  have 
centred. 

In  the  rushes  that  surround  the  pool 
some  native  had  moored  his  liglit  boat,  made 
of  slender  rods  of  hazel  or  willow  covered 
with  skins  of  oxen,  and  holding  within  it 
the  paddles,  just  as  they  in  the  morning  had 
seen  it. 

'  May  I  touch  the  boat  ?  '  sighed  the  child  ; 
'  'tis  covered  with  the  skin  of  a  slain  animal, 
and  the  paddles  are  stained  with  blood  ?' 

'  Our  sacred  commandments  teach  that  to 
save  any  human  life  all  rules  ordinarily  held 
holy  may  be  broken,  since  the  human  life  is  the 


INTERPOSITION  139 

purest  part  of  tlie  eternal  fire  from  which  we 
have  our  beinfj.' 

Withdrawing  her  gently  from  tlie  margin 
of  the  pool,  and  instructing  her  what  to  do, 
the  wise  man,  a  leader  of  his  race,  draws  out 
the  canoe,  places  it  in  a  position  ready  for  it 
to  be  entered  in  a  moment  of  time,  and  then 
returning  to  his  child,  moves  with  her  to  a 
point  of  vantage  where  they  can  look  over  the 
valley  towards  the  encampment. 

There  they  recline  and  watch  with  vigilant 
eyes. 

Quickly  the  child's  keen  siijht  catches  wliat 
they  are  looking  for. 

'  See  ! '  she  cries, '  he  is  in  sight !  he  ascends 
towards  us !  He  approaches  us  like  a  blazing 
meteor  traversing  the  earth.  Let  us  kneel 
and  pray.' 

And,  for  a  moment,  they  did  kneel  to  their 
deity,  imploring  him  fervently  not  to  devour 
the  innocent  youth  who  bore  his  raging  flame. 

'  He  comes  !  he  lives  !  he  will  be  with  us 
in  an  instant.  Let  us,  dear  father,  lead  him 
to  the  lake.' 

'  Go  forward,  my  sweet  one  ;  but  not  too 
near  him,  lest  thy  frail  garments  touch    the 


140  THE    SOX   OF   A   STAR 

fire  he  carries.  In  tlie  Eoman  tongue  call  to 
him  to  follow  thee  as  if  thou  wert  a  spirit  in 
his  patli  ;  so  calling,  flee  thee  to  the  canoe  and 
join  me.     lie  will  follow  us  and  live.' 

Like  a  truly  angelic  being  the  child  flies 
towards  the  flaming  Simeon,  and,  waving  a 
light  scarf  to  fix  his  attention,  calls  out  with 
sweetest  voice,  '  Come,  come  !  Follow  me ! 
Follow  me ! ' 

In  the  strano-e  confusion  and  excitement 
of  the  moment,  tlie  living  torch,  though  he 
were  of  merest  ordinary  mould  of  mind,  might 
be  excused  if  he  believed  that  some  more 
than  ordinary  power  had  interposed  on  his 
behalf.  To  him  who  felt  himself  fore-ordained, 
the  manifestation,  if  not  an  expected  event  at 
that  precise  moment,  is  a  perfectly  reasonable 
and  probable  occurrence  sent  and  meant  to 
save  him.  To  his  firm  set  enthusiasm  this 
voice  is  but  another  of  the  voices  of  the  night 
on  which  his  soul  had  from  its  first  watches 
fed,  and,  without  hesitation,  he  follows  the 
spirit  before  him  whithersoever  it  may  lead 
him. 

Rapidly,  still  hearing  the  sweet  call,'  come 
come  ! '  he  sees  the  angel  Join  another  being  of 


INTERPOSITION  141 

resplendent  beauty,  sitting  as  it  seems  to  him, 
the  entranced,  on  a  lake  of  crimson,  over  which 
both  glide  away  beckoning  him  still  to  follow. 

A  hissing  sound,  like  that  the  smith  pro- 
duces as  he  dips  his  heated  metal  in  the  trough, 
a  cloud  of  vapour  from  the  surface  of  the  pool, 
and  the  living  torch  might  have  been  trans- 
formed into  a  drowned  man,  but  for  the  two 
strong  arms  and  the  assistance  they  afford. 
Soon  he  feels  a  powerful  hand  on  his  body 
helping  him  to  rise  from  the  water  ;  a  few 
moments  more  and  he  stands  erect. 

He  stands  a  blackened  mass,  but  safe  and 
sound,  breast  high  in  the  water,  throwing  his 
lonjT  black  locks  from  off  his  face  and  mazing 
wildly  at  his  deliverers. 

'  The  prophecy  is,  indeed,  fulfilled.  "  When 
thou  walkest  through  the  fire  it  shall  not  con- 
sume thee,  through  the  waters  they  shall  not 
overflow  thee  !  "  ' 

Above  his  head  the  stars  are  shining  in 
radiant  clearness;  facing  him  one  lustrous 
orb  seems  to  fill  him  with  her  own  glory  ; 
he  hears  the  voices  of  angels  who  lead  him 
through  the  river  of  life  Zion-ward.  Surely 
he    will    soon  behold  the  city  whose  streets 


142  THE   SOX    OP   A   STAR 

are  paved  with  gold   and  where  there  is  no 
death. 

The  expectation  is  false,  as  many  other  such 
have  been  before.  "When  his  feet  rest  on  the 
shore,  he  hears  the  voices  telling  him,  still  in 
the  Latin  tongue,  not  to  fear ;  and  soon  they, 
in  turn,  are  entranced  as  he  raises  his  hands  to 
heaven,  and,  in  a  language  they  seem  to  com- 
prehend, pours  forth  his  thanks. 

'  My  heart  is  fixed,  my  heart  is  fixed. 
I  will  sing  and  give  praise. 
I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the  people, 
I  will  sing  unto  thee  among  the  nations. 
For  thy  mercy  is  great  unto  the  heavens, 
And  thy  truth  unto  the  clouds. 
Be  thou  exalted,  O  God,  above  the  heavens. 
Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth.' 

They  are  sublime  words,  declarations 
uttered  with  the  fervour  of  one  inspired.  They 
clothe  a  secret  declaration  that  hencefortli, 
through  a  life  however  short,  however  long, 
the  message  shall  be  uplifted  as  a  banner  to  be 
read  by  all  peoples  : — 

*  Be  thou  exalted,  0  God,  above  the  heavens. 
Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth  ! ' 

The  listeners  are  as  enraptured  as  the 
worshipper  ;   but  one  of  them,  ever  wise  and 


INTEEPOSITIOX  143 

prudent,  reasons  with  himself  that  some  en- 
quiring followers  from  the  camp  will  surely 
pursue,  and  that  ere  the  moon  shall  rise  it 
were  well  to  study  the  best  measures  for  com- 
plete escape  from  a  place  which  to  him  is  as 
the  confines  of  a  world  of  sin  and  death. 

'  He  sings,  my  father,  he  sings  ! '  exclaims 
the  rapturous  child  ;  '  he  must  be  well.' 

'  True,  my  own,  all  who  can  sing  can  live  ; 
and  observe  that  he  offers  his  thanks  to  the 
Omnipotent  Power  that  has  so  far  saved 
him  before  he  turns  to  the  instruments  that 
omnipotence  has  employed.  'Tis  according  to 
our  own  sacred  law  and  the  wisdom  of  our 
blessed  ancestors.     It  is  as  it  should  be.' 

The  declaration  finished,  Simeon  for  the 
first  time  addresses  himself  to  his  deliverers, 
to  whom  as  beings  of  more  than  human 
quality  he  bends  in  admiration. 

The  idea  of  their  supernatural  character 
is  dispelled  by  the  extremely  practical  manner 
in  which  the  chieftain  speaks  to  him. 

'  Thou  hast  done  well,  my  son,  to  return 
thy  thanks  to  thy  Omnipotent  Lord.  To 
us,  mortals  like  thyself,  let  no  thanks  be 
given,  save  those   which  come    from  a  true 


144  THE   SOX    OF   A    STAR 

and  grateful  heart,  in  deeds  of  truth  and 
honour.' 

With  ready  skill  he  once  more  places  the 
little  canoe  in  the  rushes  by  the  shore,  as  he 
had  found  it,  obliterates  all  trace  of  footsteps 
and  other  signs  of  what  has  occurred  during 
its  use,  and  enquires  with  tender  care,  if  he 
who  has  escaped  so  terrible  a  peril  is  fitted  for 
further  flight.  To  his  satisfaction  he  finds 
that  this  is  quite  possible.  From  the  rapidity 
of  the  flight  of  Simeon  the  bituminous  covering 
on  the  sackcloth  garment  has  alone  blazed  into 
fire,  and  the  brisk  wind  which  he  has  faced, 
blowincf  the  flames  behind  him,  has  saved  his 
face.  The  pouches  or  bags  into  which  his 
hands  and  arms  were  thrust,  are  charred,  so 
that  he  can  force  his  hands  through  them,  but 
his  hands  are  not  burned. 

In  a  word,  the  intended  victim,  by  simple 
natural  causes  alone,  has  escaped  scatheless. 

Seeing  this  with  much  dehght,  his  wise 
deliverer  calls  his  child,  who,  like  a  sentinel, 
watches  the  Eoman  camp,  and,  giving  to  her 
his  right  and  to  Simeon  his  left  hand,  he  leads 
them  into  the  night. 


145 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN   THE    CAP    OF    LIBEETY. 

Whilst  Simeon  is  being  led  away  into  the 
dark  unknown,  the  Numidian,  with  whom  his 
fate  has  been  so  singuUirly  hnked,  is  passing 
through  another  phase  of  his  hfe,  which,  as 
having  an  important  bearing  on  the  future  of 
this  history,  must  occupy  our  exclusive  atten- 
tion in  the  present  chapter. 

Like  an  animal  in  a  menagerie,  the  human 
animal  from  whom  the  demon  has  been  cast 
out  is  lying  in  a  kind  of  wooden  stall  or  pen 
outside  the  camp,  under  a  guard  of  camp- 
followers,  who,  as  soldiers  incapacitated  by 
wounds  from  regular  service,  are  now  em- 
ployed in  watching  the  animals  and  men 
intended  for  the  sports  of  the  arena. 

On  the  Numidian  his  guards  look  with  a 
mixture  of  admiration  and  fear.     They  have 

VOL.  I.  L 


146  THE   SON    OF    A   STAR 

disarmed  him  of  his  chib  ;  they  have  pacified 
liiiii,  as  they  think,  by  giving  him  an  extra 
layer  of  clean  straw  for  his  bed.  They  have 
placed  beside  him  a  large  leathern  jug  filled 
with  pure  water  for  his  drink  ;  and,  from  time 
to  time,  they  have  thrown  to  him  scrnps  of 
food  from  their  own  table,  in  addition  to  the 
fare  which  Milo  has  provided  for  him. 

Moreover,  when  they  want  hhn  to  get  up 
in  order  to  show  his  limbs  or  display  his 
muscular  feats  to  the  gallants  who  come  to 
inspect  him,  they  command  him  in  a  gentler 
tone  and  gesture  than  is  their  custom,  while 
they  enter  into  his  cell  as  rarely  as  is  possible, 
and  always  with  dainty  vigilance. 

For  this  Hercules  incarnate,  and  lately 
possessed  of  a  demon,  is  a  captive  whom  it  is 
considered  wise  to  leave  as  much  to  himself 
as  is  convenient.  He  is  a  new  experience 
altogether. 

The  next  possible  impending  fate  of  the 
miserable  wretch  is  known  throughout  the 
cam}),  and  also  to  himself,  for  they  who  have 
come  to  look  at  him  through  the  bars  of  his 
den  talk  as  freely  within  his  hearing  about 
the  ordeal  he  is  likely  to  go  through,  as  they 


IN   THE    CAP   OF    LIBERTY  147 

<io  before  tlie  famishing  animals  whicli  are  to 
be  his  awful  foes. 

The  proposition,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
is  that  he  shall  next  day  fight  again  with 
wolves ;  and  it  is  now  suggested  that  he  shall 
fight  two  sets  of  six  each,  one  set  after  the 
other,  in  continued  contest,  for  the  enjoyment 
of  the  gallants  who  wish  to  purchase  him,  and 
who,  of  a  wild  and  sporting  character,  are  good 
representatives  of  certain  of  the  oldest  and 
most  influential  families  of  Eome. 

The  gallants  drive  a  close  bargain  witli 
Milo,  and  he,  for  he  is  notoriously  a  hard 
bargainer,  with  them.  They  survey  the  man 
they  would  purchase,  at  a  respectful  distance, 
from  head  to  foot.  They  admit  his  herculean 
strength,  but  they  dwell  on  that  fatal  flaw  in 
his  value,  the  demon  that  possesses  him. 

Milo,  on  his  part,  first  maintains  that  the 
demon  has  been  driven  out  of  the  animal. 

'  But  will  he  guarantee  that  it  will  never 
enter  him  again,'  they  enquire,  '  If  he  will 
there  is  his  full  claim  with  the  penalty  attach- 
ing to  it  should  his  guarantee  fail.' 

Not  sufliciently  certain  of  his  case  to  ac- 
cept these  terms,  Milo  shly  parries  his  offer 

L  2 


148  THE   SOX   OF   A   STAR 

as  a  joke,  and  in  a  half-hearted  bantering  tone, 
commonly  assumed  by  all  barterers  in  flesh 
and  blood,  praises  the  faults  of  the  chattel  he 
would  sell. 

'Mayhap  the  demon  is  at  the  bottom  of 
all  the  skill  which  he  possesses,  and  only 
throws  him  when  he  is  doino-  wronj? ;  therefore 
it  were  best  it  should  come  back  to  him.' 

The  gallants  take  this  suggestion  at  its  true 
Avorth,  and  thinking  they  have  their  man  in  a 
corner,  they  laugh,  and  leave  him  in  order  to 
join  in  the  tumult  incidental  to  the  song  of 
Tinnius  Eufus,  '  Ecce  Imperator.' 

The  song  over,  they  stroll  about  the  camp 
as  gallants  will ;  and  when  they  feel  that  they 
have  given  Milo  full  time  for  reflection,  they 
go  to  the  tent  of  that  crafty  salesman  to  re- 
open the  negotiation. 

To  their  utter  bewilderment,  as  they  enter 
the  tent,  they  discover  the  human  animal  who 
for  their  next  morning's  sport  might  be  de- 
voured of  wolves,  clothed  in  Eoman  attire  like 
their  own,  only  of  plainer  stuff',  and  seated  with 
Milo  as  at  least  his  equal. 

Divested  now  of  all  the  barbarous  trim- 
ming   th^t  have  been  put  upon  him  for  the 


IX   THE   CAP    OF    LIBERTY  149 

arena,  he  is  a  fine  and  stalwart  man,  of  olive 
complexion  it  is  true,  but  of  grand  and  noble 
expression,  and  of  graceful  and  even  dignified 
manner. 

The  gallants,  there  are  four  of  them,  can- 
not believe  their  senses.  In  their  wonder  they 
rush  back  to  the  pen  where  the  Numidian 
had  been  confined. 

The  pen  is  occupied  by  six  goats,  which  turn 
towards  them  with  mocking  baas,  shrill  and 
pressing,  as  if  asking  for  the  food  they  expect, 
or  the  young  of  which  they  have  just  been 
robbed. 

For  the  fun  of  this  night,  and  for  the 
matter  of  that  of  many  other  nights,  the  gal- 
lants have  assumed  to  themselves  the  names 
of  Brutus,  Cassius,  Pompey,  and  young  Octa- 
vius,  characters  supposed  to  suit  and  fit  their 
respective  natures. 

'  By  all  the  infernals,'  lisps  the  young 
Octavius,'  this  change  of  animal  out- Caesars 
Csesar.' 

'  Another  miracle ! '  exclaims  Pompey. 

'•  A  beastly  attempt  to  extort  from  us  more 
gold,'  whispers  Brutus. 

'  But  not  likely  to  succeed  until  we  have 


150  THE    SON    OF    A    STAR 

stripped  tlie  beast,  and  seen  that  we  have  not 
been  cajoled  by  a  counterfeit,'  urges  the  fiery 
Cassius,  as  he  draws  his  dagger-knife  to  rip  up 
tlie  toga  of  tlie  released  Numidian,  to  Avhoni, 
while  carrying  on  their  exclamations,  they 
have  furiously  returned. 

'  Hold,  gentlemen,  hold  ! '  interposes  Milo. 
'  Who  touches  him  touches  Cajsar.  He  is 
mine  no  longer.  He  has  obtained  his  freedom, 
ranks  as  a  Roman  citizen  like  oui'selves,  and 
as  his  club  is  now  his  own  weapon,  it  were 
wiser  for  you  to  drink  to  his  future  success  as 
a  freeman  of  Eome,  than  to  quarrel  either  with 
Ca3sar  or  with  him.' 

And  as  Caisar  and  the  weapon  of  the  newly 
freed  man  are  not  things  to  be  trifled  with, 
the  gallants,  like  all  men  who  are  prudent  as 
well  as  gallant,  throw  themselves  at  once  into 
the  humour  of  Milo,  call  for  wine,  and  would 
now  drink  to  the  new  representative  of  free- 
dom and  power  until  break  of  day,  did  he  not 
check  them. 

'  In  the  country  from  whence  I  come,  noble 
sirs,'  he  explains  in  a  gentle  but  manly  tone, 
and  with  good  Eoman  accent,  '  in  the  country 
whence  I  come  my  people  use  a  bow  which 


IN   THE    CAP    OF   LIBERTY  151 

no  Other  people  can  bend.  We  live  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years.  In  the  days  of 
our  forefathers,  King  Cambyses  and  his  son 
Cyrus  feared  to  fight  against  us,  and  one  of 
your  own  Ceesars  failed  to  subdue  us,  though 
he  took  some  of  us  captive.  All  our  men  are 
strong  as  I ;  our  women,  equally  strong,  are 
far  more  beautiful ;  and  the  secret  of  all  our 
strength  lies  in  one  simple  act.  We  take  no 
stupefying  food  or  drink.' 

'  By  Bacchus ! '  whimpers  the  young  Oc- 
tavius,  '  this  is  too  blasphemous.  I  pray  thee, 
Brutus !  Cassius !  Pompey !  let  us  go  to  the 
temple  !  let  us  go  to  the  temple ! ' 

'  And  what,'  asked  Milo,  when  the  exqui- 
sites had  departed,  '  what,  thou  fortunate  of 
fortunate  men,  will  be  thy  next  promotion  ? 
I  wan-ant  thee  thou  wilt  take  for  a  wife  this 
Jewish  Huldah,  and  be  more  enslaved  than 
ever.  Women  do  not  give  freedom  to  hand- 
some young  athletes  without  trying  to  take 
them  all  to  themselves.' 

The  suggestion,  a  mere  random  joke  of  a 
rough  Eoman  soldier  flushed  with  wine  and 
newly  primed  with  money,  throws  the  freed- 
man  into  a  frenzy  almost  as  demonstrative  as 


152  THE    SOX    OF   A   STAR 

the  seizure  in  tlie  arena,  an  exhibition  whicli 
brings  such  fears  to  the  affrignted  Milo  that 
]iis  red  cheeks  turn  ghastly  pale. 

'  Fear  not,'  responds  his  visitor  encourag- 
ingl}^  '  fear  not,  good  Milo ;  the  spirit  which 
so  long  haunted  me  is  cast  out  for  ever.  But 
thy  saying  struck  deep  into  my  heart  and 
transfixed  it.  Why,  man,  in  all  thy  calendar 
of  Roman  goddesses  there  is  not  one  so  divine 
as  she  who  gave  me  freedom.  They  call  her 
divine  half  in  sport,  half  in  fear.  She  is 
divine  !  She  is  not  mortal,  nor  is  there  mortal 
man  will  ever  dare  to  claim  her  as  wife.  Her 
follower  through  life  to  death  I  may  be ;  her 
faithful  companion,  her  tried  servant,  her 
proven  friend,  but  never  more.' 

And  seeing  the  earnestness  of  the  speaker, 
and  that  there  is  no  damper  of  a  return  of 
the  evil  demon,  the  recovered  Milo,  who  be- 
lieves about  as  much  in  goddesses  and  divine 
women  as  he  docs  in  a  bad  bargain,  allows 
the  new  freedman  to  relieve  his  full  heart  by 
a  copious  flood  of  tears,  without  any  inter- 
ruption. 

'  Strange,'  thinks  Milo,  as  he  busies  himself 
in  putting  things  in  order  in  the  tent,  and  in 


IN   THE    CAP    OF   LIBERTY  153 

preparing  a  couch  for  the  new  occupant, 
'  strange  that  a  Hercules  hke  that  should  cry 
like  a  baby.  I  wage  me  that  Severus,  or  those 
madcaps,  or  Tinnius  Eufus — w^ell,  I'll  not  be 
too  sure  about  Tinnius — or  myself,  would 
never  cry  like  that  at  my  words.  Surely  it  was 
natural  enough  to  suppose  that  a  handsome 
young  woman  who  gives  all  the  money  she 
possesses  to  buy  a  handsome  young  man,  who 
was  going  to  be  turned  into  an  ugly  old  wolf 
within  twenty-four  marks  of  the  candle,  would 
have  him  in  her  eye  as  something  unusually 
excellent.     Why  not  ?  ' 

Thus  musing  whilst  he  arranges  the 
couches,  and  then  sitting  down  on  his  own 
couch  to  unloose  his  sandals,  Milo  falls  into 
a  brief  reverie  on  the  events  of  the  day  now 
coming  to  a  close,  a  day  which  has  given  a 
freedman  to  Eome,  a  worshipper  to  Huldah 
the  Jewess,  and  a  mint  of  money  to  his  own 
exchequer. 

Let  us  leave  Milo  absorbed  in  what  is  pass- 
ing before  his  mental  gaze,  and  go  back  a 
short  time  in  order  to  disclose  the  mode  in 
which  the  Numidian  obtained  his  freedom. 


154  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

We  know  already  that  Huldali  had  deter- 
mined to  save  the  man  from  whom,  by  some 
strange  spell,  she  Jiad  cast  tlie  demon,  and  to 
whom,  by  some  stranger  spell  still,  she  was 
attracted,  as  if  by  a  mysterious  hand  which 
led  her  to  resolve  on  his  deliverance  in  a  mode 
which  shall,  for  a  moment  or  two,  occupy  us 
as  observers  of  a  stratagem  of  fate. 

Fidehs  the  Centurion  of  a  hundred  years 
has  returned,  as  we  have  already  seen,  from 
the  Circus  Britannicus  back  to  his  own  quarters 
a  clianged  man.  He  is  faithful  as  ever  to  all 
that  a  brave  man  holds  most  dear — his  religion, 
liis  duty,  his  country,  his  friends. 

These  have  ever  been  the  four  corner 
stones  of  his  temple  of  life  :  eeligion,  duty, 

COUNTRY,  FRIENDSHIP. 

And  on  four  sounder  foundations  has  no 
man  ever  built. 

The  events  of  the  day  have,  however, 
proved  at  last  too  much  for  his  powers.  The 
excitement  of  the  triumphal  march  around  tlie 
course  ;  the  arrival  of  Hadrian,  whom  he  had 
once  escorted  in  the  previous  reign,  and  to 
whom,  then  an  uncrowned  man,  he  had  ren- 


IN    THE    CAP    OF    LIBERTY  155 

dered  useful  service ;  the  conduct  of  liis  pro- 
tege Simeon,  the  obstmacy  of  tlie  youth,  and 
his  fate  ;  the  miracle  he  had  witnessed.  These 
have  induced  in  him  a  foreboding  sadness, 
followed,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  by 
prostration  both  of  body  and  mind. 

He  listens  to  Huldah's  conversation,  after 
a  time,  with  a  kind  of  vacant  pleasure,  and 
when  he  notices  her  sadness,  as  she  tells  of  the 
use  which  he  out  of  whom  she  had  cast  the 
bad  spirit  was  soon  to  be  put,  he  becomes 
variable  in  mood,  now  mirthful,  then  contem- 
plative, in  rapid  succession. 

No  longer  Fidelis,  the  centurion  of  Cassarea, 
unmoved  and  always  ready,  but  a  child  of 
children. 

With  resignation  he  lays  down  thevitis  on 
his  couch,  and  the  sturdy  rod,  as  if  conscious 
of  its  own  helplessness  without  him,  falls  to 
the  floor. 

Oh,  terrible  omen  !  The  vitis  falls  from 
Fidelis  to  the  earth. 

Tell  it  not  in  the  camp,  for  it  is  the  end  of 
power. 

After  a  while,  raising  himself,  with  Huldah 
by  his  side,   he   takes  her   hand,   and   seem- 


156  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

ing  to  recast  his  thoughts,  led  back  by  some 
recollections  of  his  early  career,  he  questions 
her. 

'  Child,'  he  asks,  '  art  thou  still  firm  in  the 
faith  of  thy  fathers  ?  ' 

Huldah  bends  her  head,  as  if  that  act  were 
alone  sufficient  to  attest  her  firmness  and  sin- 
cerity, and  with  continued  revival  of  memory 
he  proceeds. 

'  'Tis  well,  my  child,  'tis  well.  Keep  thy 
faith,  keep  thy  faith.  In  body  thou  may'st 
bend  to  men,  for  they  are  of  the  kingdom  of 
this  world,  but  keep  thy  soul  free  and  pure. 
Thy  father  died  for  his  people.  'Twas  my 
duty  to  lead  him  out  to  be  crucified.  Many 
times  we  had  most  friendly  meetings,  Eoman 
soldier  as  I  was,  Jewish  reader  in  the  synagogue 
he.  But  he  rebelled  against  Eome,  and  I  had 
my  duty  to  perform,  which,  sad  towards  him, 
did  not  prevent  me  saving  thee  and  thy  play- 
mate under  his  charge,  the  youth  Simeon, 
Henceforth  you  and  Simeon  were  the  children, 
the  second  children,  of  the  childless  Fidelis, 
for  my  own  two  children,  boy  and  girl,  together 
with  the  mother  that  bore  them,  one  of  thy 


IN   THE   CAP   OF   LIBEETY  157 

people,  were  taken  from  me  by  accident,  in 
the  springtime  of  my  manhood. 

'  Often,  often  did  their  mother  read  to  me 
from  the  sacred  book  thoii  knowest  so  well, 
and  though  it  was  foreign  to  me  it  comforted 
me.  Thy  voice  is  Hke  hers ;  tell  me  some- 
thing from  thy  book.' 

With  cheerful  obedience  Iluldah  narrates 
to  him  in  low  and  gentle  chant  the  music  of 
the  early  stanzas  of  the  second  Isaiah.  She  tells 
him  of  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth  ; 
who  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary  ;  whose  un- 
derstanding is  unsearchable  ;  who  gives  power 
to  the  faint,  and  to  them  that  have  no  might 
increaseth  strength  ;  before  whom  the  youths 
faint  and  are  weary,  and  the  young  men 
utterly  fall.  But  they  that  wait  upon  Him 
renew  their  strength,  mount  up  with  wino-s 
as  eagles,  run  and  are  not  weary,  walk  and 
are  not  faint. 

To  the  old  man  the  sweet  words  and 
promises  seem  to  give  new  vitality, 

'  He  is  a  great  King,  Huldah,  my  child. 
He  is  a  great  King.  I  wish  I  were  one  of  His 
centurions.      I  should  like  to  travel  to  where 


158  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

He  is,  and  see  Him  in  His  noble  palace,  and 
show  him  the  chaplet  Severus  put  on  my 
head  when  they  called  so  loud  my  name.  Let 
us  go  to  Him.     Let  us  go  ! ' 

The  words  fall  from  his  lips  like  those  of 
a  little  child  about  to  take  a  journey  to  some 
spotless  home,  of  wdiich  it  has  been  told  and 
which  he  dies  to  see. 

Suddenly  the  mood  changes,  and  matters 
of  immediate  importance  cross  his  mind  re- 
lating to  the  earthly  future  yet  in  store  for 
her  whose  hand  he  holds. 

'  What,  my  child,  can  I  do  for  thee  ? — 
what  give  thee  besides  the  blessing  of  a  man 
who  has  filled  his  years  ?  ' 

'  A  life,'  she  replies,  '  a  life,  dearest  friend 
and  protector  !  Give  me  a  life  that,  once  given, 
shall,  I  promise  thee,  be  devoted,  body,  soul, 
and  spirit,  to  that  Lord  and  Master  you  would 
serve  so  faithfully.' 

'  Life  !  life  !  life  !  Is  not  that,  maiden,  in 
the  hands  alone  of  the  great  King  ?  ' 

'  Nay,  'tis  in  thine  now,'  she  cries,  as  she 
looks  imploringly  into  the  bewildered  face  of 
the  child  of  children,  '  Thou  hast  influence, 
thou  hast  means,     No  one  to-day  will  deny 


IN   THE    CAP    OF    LIBERTY  159 

Fidelis  anything  that  thou  hast  means  and 
will  to  ransom.' 

And  then,  slowly  and  gently,  that  he  might 
receive  it  all,  she  tells  him  the  impending  peril 
of  the  slave  from  whom  she  has  cast  out 
the  unclean  spirit,  and  claims  his  purchase 
for  the  service  of  the  King  of  kings,  whose 
worshipper  she  is. 

It  is  a  prayer  easily  granted — granted,  in 
fact,  with  a  smile  and  laugh  of  delight,  as  if  it 
were  a  good  piece  of  pastime  or  sport.  Milo 
is  sent  for ;  his  terms,  no^  by  any  means 
extortionate  to  Fidelis,  are  accepted  without 
demur;  the  bond  is  paid,  and  the  man,  once 
possessed  of  a  demon,  is  bought  and  made 
over  to  the  good  angel  who  has  been  sent  to 
accomphsh  his  second  deliverance. 

She  must  lose  no  time  in  claiming  what 
belongs  now  to  her. 

Exhausted  with  the  efforts  he  has  made, 
Fidelis  sleeps  like  an  infant,  and  Huldah  issues 
forth  from  his  tent  on  her  mission  of  mercy. 

The  slave  also  sleeps.  The  last  heartless 
bargainer  for  him  has  subjected  him  to  the  last 
inspection,  and  he  has  been  shut  up  for  the 
night,  with  the  massive  club  dropped  into  two 


160  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

slots  to  form  a  bolt  for  the  outer  door  of  his 
den,  and  to  act  as  a  sign  that  this  is  the 
place  in  which  he  lies  waiting  for  his  fate. 

After  the  bolt  has  thus  been  put  up  he, 
chained  and  securely  fastened,  disposes  himself 
for  rest.  He  rolls  himself  up  into  a  ball  and, 
as  far  as  possible,  buries  himself  in  the  litter 
of  straw  so  that  the  noise  of  those  howling 
wolves  may  be  subdued.  Unable  to  fall  into 
slumber,  yet  feeling  the  need  of  it,  he  goes 
through  the  mental  process  of  once  more 
boldly  meeting  his  foes  in  prospect,  and  of 
devisini?  how  he  shall  act  so  as  to  be  saved. 
Shall  he  weary  them  each  by  flight,  and  kill 
them  one  by  one  as  they  lie  at  his  mercy  ? 
They  are  too  numerous  tliis  time  for  that. 
Shall  he  march  up  to  each  and  with  one 
crushing  blow  kill,  kill,  kill  ?  'Tis  a  bold  idea, 
but  too  fatig-uing  and  watchful  even  for  him. 
He  conceives  next  a  method  of  meeting  them  by 
making  a  new  series  of  springs  or  leaps,  and  so 
getting  at  them  one  by  one,  leaving  the  trusty 
club  to  do  the  rest.  By  this  exploit,  six  of 
his  enemies  lie,  in  imagination,  at  his  feet,  and 
the  new  ones  being  let  in,  so  ravenous  they 
would  devour  the  dead  bodies  of  their  kind  were 


IN   THE   CAP    OF    LIBERTY  161 

they  not  driven  off  with  torches  of  fire,  also  fall. 
Then  over  a  low  part  of  the  wall  of  the  circus 
where  the  fight  is  going  on  he  leaps  with  his 
club,  and  flies  away  after  Simeon,  the  living 
torch,  so  swiftly  that  no  one  can  catch  him, 
and  he  is  free  in  a  strange  land. 

No,  not  quite  strange  either,  for  in  the 
meadows  over  which  he  strides  he  reaches,  he 
fancies,  a  land  like  that  of  his  fathers.  He 
meets  an  invading  force,  is  captured,  is  held 
as  a  hostage  ;  is  brought  to  some  strange  city 
and  sold  there  as  a  slave ;  is  trained  as  an 
athlete  ;  is  made  to  fight  with  real  animals, 
wild  and  savage,  and  with  men  dressed  up  as 
animals  ;  is  brought  by  his  present  master, 
Milo,  to  Britain  ;  is  made  to  fight  a  Jew  ;  is  cast, 
as  he  has  often  been,  into  a  trance  ;  sees  all 
the  heaven  open  to  his  sight ;  sees  one  of  the 
host  there  come  to  him  and  relieve  him  ;  is  cast 
again  into  a  den,  and  is  doomed  to-morrow 
to  be  devoured  of  wolves,  whose  voices  ring 
in  his  ears. 

The  torture  destroys  itself.  One  can  but 
die.  And  what  is  death  ?  Sleep  is  death,  and 
deep  sleep  comes  with  the  thought  as  if  by 
inspiration. 

VOL.  I.  M 


162  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

As  sleep  vanquishes  him  his  powerful 
muscles  relax  ;  his  limbs  stretch  out ;  his  head 
rests  gracefully  on  his  right  arm  ;  his  left  arm, 
naked  and  strong,  rests  gracefully  on  his  body ; 
around  his  body  there  still  remains  a  portion 
of  the  skin  of  the  bear  in  which  he  fought  by 
the  side  of  Simeon  ;  while  round  liis  neck  is  a 
white  flowing  under- vest,  the  collar  of  which, 
turned  back  as  it  was  wont  to  be  when  he 
stood  in  the  slave  market,  discloses  a  throat 
chiselled  to  perfection,  above  a  chest  of  tre- 
mendous power,  moved  by  gentle  breathings 
deep,  steady,  and  regular  as  the  march  of  a 
cohort. 

His  face,  compared  with  what  it  was  in  the 
arena,  is  now  transfigured.  The  dark  colour 
with  which  it  had  been  treated  in  order  to 
give  it  dense  blackness  has  been  removed  : 
the  red  colour  with  which  the  lips  and  eye- 
brows were  tinted  has  also  been  removed,  and 
now  there  is  revealed  that  face  of  singular 
power  and  grace  which,  by  anticipation,  we 
have  already  beheld  as  a  face  at  peace  with 
its  own  heart  and  with  all  the  world. 

Wrapt  in  a  dark  toga,  to  shield  her  from 
common  observation,  Huldah  approaches  with 


mm 


IN   THE   CAP    OF   LIBERTY  163 

Milo  to  the  den  of  the  sleeper.  As  they  enter 
the  gates  of  the  menagerie,  she,  strong  of  will 
as  she  is,  is  appalled ;  for  the  noise  of  the 
ravenous  animals  rises  to  a  frenzy,  as  Milo 
strikes  his  flint  and  lights  his  lamp.  In  a 
moment,  all  sense  of  fear  is  absorbed  in  the 
intent  she  has  in  view.  In  haste  to  fulfil  her 
mission  and  release  her  slave  from  his  bondage, 
she  seizes  the  lamp  which  Milo  holds  out  to 
her,  and,  impatiently  waiting  while  he  lights 
another  for  himself,  follows  him  to  the  den 
bolted  by  the  club. 

Taking  in  hand  both  lamps,  as  Milo  removes 
the  heavy  bolt  and  delivers  it  over  to  the 
sturdy  keepers  who  are  on  watch  outside,  and 
holding  the  lamps  raised  and  forward  from  her 
body,  she  enters  the  cage. 

'  There  he  is,'  observes  his  late  master,  as 
she  brings  the  lamps  to  shine  on  him,  '  there 
he  is,  as  fine  a  slave  as  ever  was  born.  If  he 
should  go  on  sleeping  like  that  until  sunrise, 
he  could  beat  every  wolf  and  bear  in  the 
encampment,  bringing  back  all  the  money  he 
has  cost,  and  sleeping  to-morrow  night  again 
like  a  babe  in  his  cradle,  just  as  he  is  sleeping 
now.' 

M   2 


164  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

Hulddli,  too  absorbed  in  what  she  sees 
to  Hsten  to  the  suggestion,  recalls,  with  the 
admiring  wonder  of  a  woman  for  every  living 
source  of  strength  her  Eastern  poetry. 

'  I  am  black  but  comely,  O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem  ; 
As  the  tents  of  Kedar,  as  the  curtains  of  Solomon.' 

'  I  must,'  she  communes,  'wake  him  from 
this  deep  oblivion ;  but  how  graceful  his 
rest ! '  Then,  questioning  if  he  really  can  be 
the  beast  who  fought  with  Simeon,  she  turns 
to  Milo  and  enquires  : 

*  Is  this  indeed  the  man  from  whom  I  cast 
the  unclean  spirit  ?  ' 

'  The  same.  See  you  how  the  skin  of 
the  bear  still  clings  to  his  body  ;  but  his  arms 
being  uncovered  and  the  dyes  being  off  his 
face,  he  becomes  quite  a  different  man.' 

She  is  satisfied  with  the  answer,  but  still 
lingers  ere  she  inquires  further  : 

'  By  what  name  is  he  rightly  called  ? ' 

'  He  has  been  called  by  various  names,  ac- 
cording to  the  feats  he  has  done  or  according 
to  the  whim  of  his  masters ;  but  the  name  he 
originally  bore,  as  I  have  been  told,  was  Helios, 
meaning  that  he  came  from  the  land  of  the 
east,  and  where  it  is  said  his  father,  who  was 


■KIOP 


IN   THE    CAP    OF    LIBERTY  165 

the  leader  of  the  people  there,  was  slain  in  a 
great  battle  with  Trajan,  who  was  beaten,  but 
who,  by  accident,  fell,  during  his  retreat,  on 
the  chieftain's  children  and  carried  them  away 
captive.' 

The  name  and  the  story  struck  her,  for  a 
moment,  mute,  as  if  she  had  heard  that  name 
before  and  that  history.  Then,  as  she  pon- 
dered she  recalled  to  her  ready  memory  that 
in  the  Scriptures  she  had  learned  the  name 
of  Elias.  But  Elias  was  Elohim  who  made 
the  world,  and  this  was  Helios,  after  the 
fountain  of  light  which  fills  the  world  with 
his  glory  and  vivifies  it  with  his  power. 
This  man  may  be  truly  descended  from  her 
race. 

She  kneels  gracefully  by  his  side,  and 
giving  one  of  the  lamps  to  Milo,  who  there- 
upon wanders  away  to  appease  his  ravening 
wolves  by  throwing  to  them  just  suflicient  food 
to  prevent  them  devouring  each  other,  she  is 
left  alone  with  the  child  of  the  East,  her  dark 
mantle  folded  about  the  lower  half  of  her 
body,  her  white  toga  trimmed  with  gold  en- 
robing her  shoulders  and  breast,  her  raven  hair 
falling  over  her  back,  and  her  dark  eyes  fiash- 


1G6  THE   SOX    OF   A    STAR 

ing  their  rays  over  liis  face  as  the  lamp  she 
holds  aloft  feeds  them  with  its  light. 

And  now  another  of  the  mysterious  pas- 
sages with  which  she  is  so  richly  stored  crosses 
her  mind  : 

'  Oh  that  thou  wert  as  my  brother  that  sucked  the  breasts 

of  my  mother  ! 
When  I  should  find  thee  without  I  should  kiss  thee  : 
Yea,  I  should  not  be  despised.' 

By  an  impulse  irresistible  as  it  is  natural, 
as  if  the  words  inspired  the  act,  she  bends 
over  the  sleeper,  and  with  the  softest  kiss  that 
woman's  lips  can  give,  and  with  a  touch  and 
voice  which  might  almost  have  aroused  the 
dead,  arouses  him  from  his  slumber. 

It  is  a  cruel  awakening.  He  has  fallen 
back  to  a  past  preceding  his  captivity,  when  in 
his  blissful  home  he  has  gone  forth  with  the 
morning  sun  to  see  the  attendants  milk  the 
goats.  He  has  with  him  his  younger  sister 
and  still  younger  brother ;  they  have  sipped  the 
sweet  milk  from  the  gourds,  they  have  rolled 
Avith  the  young  kids  on  the  green  sward, 
and  one  of  the  kids,  which  is  very  fond  of  him, 
is  pushing  its  nose  between  his  arm  and  side 
to   ensure    recognition,   when    he   hears    his 


IN   THE    CAP    OF    LIBERTY  167 

mother,  to  hiin  a  divinity  of  love  and  beauty, 
calling  to  liim  sweetly  in  the  distance : — 

'  Eh,  Eh,  come  ! ' 

It  is  the  name  which  she,  in  a  mother's 
lovino;  tattle,  has  contracted  for  him  from  the 
longer  and  harder  Helios. 

'  Eh,  Eh,  come  ! ' 

Is  he  again  possessed  ? 

Is  it  a  return  of  the  old,  old  trance,  he 
asks  of  himself  as  he  wakes  from  the  en- 
chantment. 

No,  it  is  her  kiss  on  his  baby  cheek  ;  it  is 
her  voice  once  more. 

Eh,  Eh,  come ! ' 

'  Ah,  my  mother !  my  mother  !  my  mother  ! 
Leave  me  not  again  for  ever,'  he  sobs  forth  as 
his  heavy  eyes  open  overflowing  with  tears  ; 
and  that  mother's  voice  in  its  own  almost 
forgotten  language  repeats : 

'Eh!  EH!  come!' 

Again  the  close  foul  den  is  manifest  to 
his  awakening  senses.  But  how  changed  the 
scene !  The  howhngs  of  the  wolves  have 
ceased ;  the  darkness  has  fled ;  and  there  is 
one  over  him  celestial  with  celestial  light,  who 
speaks  his  native  tongue,  who  knows  his  child's 


168  THE   SON    OF   A    STAR 

name  in  its  childish  form,  whose  face,  whose 
voice,  whose  smile,  is  all  of  all  to  him  again. 

He  is  seized  with  an  overwhelming  desire. 
The  desire  forthwith  to  die. 

But  before  that  desire  has  taken  form  he 
is  raised  to  full  activity  of  life  by  the  action 
of  Huldah  and  the  entrance  of  Milo. 

Milo  unlocks  his  fetters,  Huldah  gently 
helps  him  to  rise,  and  casting  some  folds  of 
her  dark  mantle  over  her  shoulders,  presents 
him  '  per  epistolam,' — by  letter, — with  the 
deed  which  tells  him  he  is  henceforth  a  freed- 
man  by  the  act  of  Fidelis  the  centurion. 

Bearing  the  epistle  of  freedom  clasped  to 
nis  breast,  and,  marvel  of  marvels,  led  forth  by 
the  hand  of  its  celestial  messenger,  he  is  soon 
in  the  presence  of  the  centurion  of  a  hundred 
years,  who  with  the  true  delight  of  a  child 
calls  him  Libertinus — the  Freedman — and  in- 
vests him  with  the  badges  of  his  freedom  :  the 
cap  of  liberty,  the  white  robe,  and  the  ring. 

Libertinus  !  A  Freedman  !  A  Eoman  under 
the  protection  of  Csesar.  A  man,  no  more 
to  be  bought,  no  more  to  be  sold. 

Libertinus  !  A  Freedman  !  no  more  to  fight 


IN   THE    CAP    OF    LIBERTY  169 

as  a  beast  with  men,  nor  as  a  man  with  beasts 
unless  by  a  will  which,  for  the  first  time  since 
he  knew  it  and  its  worth,  is  his  own! 

Libertinus  !    A  slave,  whose  soul  belontred 
to  Others  and  baser  souls,  set  free ;   a  soul  of 
man  set  at  liberty !  What  inexpressible  reality  ! 
A  man  always  free   could  never  understand 
the  transformation. 

Libertinus !  A  Freedman.  The  lowest 
slave,  lowest  born  by  descent,  a  slave  of 
slaves,  is  bewildered  by  the  boon  !  What, 
then,  a  man  of  noblest  nature  and  most 
steadfast  mind  whom  no  lowness  infects,  no 
cruelty  stains,  no  danger  appals  ! 

We,  who  know  nothing  but  freedom,  can 
never  know  his  joy.  He  is  born  again.  Born 
to  a  new  world,  new  hopes,  new  fears,  new 
loves,  new  life. 

Milo  invites  the  Libertinus,  the  Freedman, 
to  his  own  tent,  to  take  up  his  abode  there  for 
awhile,  for  which  privilege  Milo,  we  may  be 
sure,  is  well  paid.     Milo  is  always  well  paid. 

No  wonder  that  Milo,  who  values  all  things 
and  all  men,  and  all  women  and  all  children, 
by  their  money's  worth,  should  venture  to  sug- 


170  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

gest  to  liis  visitor,  now  re-named  Eli  Fidelis, 
that  a  woman's  love  had  bouirht  him  a  free- 
dom  which  he  must  sell  a^ain  to  the  woman. 

No  wonder  that  Milo,  as  he  sits  on  his 
couch  unlacing  his  sandals  after  the  gallants 
have  left  his  quarters,  looks  furtively  at  Liber 
tinus,  and  is  for  once  in  his  life  at  his  wits' 
end  to  discover  what  it  can  all  mean,  if  neither 
love  nor  money  be  at  the  root  of  a  transaction 
that  crowns  his  once  monster  slave  in  the 
cap  of  liberty. 


171 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM   BRITAIN   TO    JOPPA. 

Moving  on  in  the  course  of  our  story,  we 
must  for  a  time  quit  the  httle  island  of  Britain, 
and  proceed  to  another  and  very  different 
place.  To  all  the  friends  or  acquaintances  we 
have  made  on  the  island  we  will  for  a  short 
time  say  farewell.  Fabius  and  Vibullius  have 
gone  for  an  excursion  to  the  northern  parts  of 
the  island,  to  visit  the  barbarians  there,  and 
take  notes  for  a  book  of  travel,  which  the 
learned  Fabius  means  to  write  if  his  industry 
should  ever  equal  his  leisure.  The  renowned 
Saserna  remains  at  his  post,  busier  than  ever. 
The  gallants,  the  young  Octavius,  Brutus, 
Cassius  and  Pompey,  rest  a  little  from  our 
further  cognizance,  with  hopes  that  as  they 
grow  older  they  may  amend.  The  pious 
Aaron  of  the  Altar,  and  his  neighbour  the 
good   old   Priest   of  the   Temple  of  Apollo, 


172  THE    SON    OP   A   STAR 

continue  with  tlieir  people  in .  discharge  of 
their  duties,  both,  for  a  time,  dead  to  our 
new  hfe.  Milo  the  bartering  soldier,  who 
knows  how  to  turn  over  honest  coin  so 
cleverly,  and  grumbles  to  himself  that  Ca3sar, 
who  has  no  taste  for  sport,  is  no  good  for  his 
business,  must  also  pass  out  of  mind. 

The  whole  island  of  Britain  soon  fades 
from  us  as  we  set  forth  on  our  journey.  It  is 
a  wild  coast ;  it  is  a  beautiful  little  land  with 
white  cliffs  planted  in  the  sea  ;  it  is  a  mere 
speck  in  the  sea ;  it  is  as  lost  to  our  sight  as 
if  it  were  submerged  in  the  waters  which  we 
traverse  on  the  wino;s  of  our  imag-ination. 

We  have  left  behind  us,  far  away,  an  island, 
and  approach  now  the  sliores  of  the  great 
ocean  in  the  middle  of  the  world.  We  land 
in  a  new  place.  The  spirit  that  guides  us  tells 
us  that  it  has  brought  us  to  Joppa,  the  seaport 
of  Jerusalem. 

This  Joppa,  or  Jaffa,  is  an  ancient  town,  and 
is  occupied  by  a  very  curious  admixture  of 
peoples.  It  was  built  by  Solomon  the  Wise 
before  he  erected,  under  the  skill  of  Hiram 
Abiff  the  grand  architect,  the  holy  Temple 
of  the  Holy  City.     It  was  the  fate  of  Hiram 


FROM    BRITAIN   TO    JOPPA  173 

AbifF  to  die  by  the  hands  of  three  of  his  men, 
designat  ed  craft  masons,  because  hewould  not 
communicate  to  them,  on  their  rude  and  inso- 
lent demand,  some  of  the  higher  mysteries  of  his 
caUing  ;  and  these  men,  after  they  had  killed 
him  and  buried  his  body  in  the  earth,  fled 
towards  Joppa  and  concealed  themselves  in  a 
cave  near  by,  where  tliey  were  found  by  the 
Menatscliin  or  Prefects,  whom  the  King  had 
sent  out  to  trace  them  to  their  hiding-place. 
The  cavern  remains  to  this  day,  and  is  one  of 
the  antiquities  of  the  city,  as  we  soon  discover. 
At  Joppa,  as  the  seaport  of  Jerusalem  and 
of  the  land  of  ancient  and  sacred  mystery  to  the 
Jewish  nation,  all  the  great  importations  from 
abroad  are  landed.  It  is  a  town  of  merchants, 
strangers,  and  scholars,  and  for  many  ages 
has  held  this  distinctive  history.  Conquered 
by  the  Eomans,  after  the  destruction  of  the 
city  and  Temple  of  Jerusalem  by  Vespasian, 
it  has  become  an  important  Eoman  station, 
and  gradually  under  the  united  influences 
of  Eoman  occupation,  Phoenician  commerce, 
foreign  connnunication,  and  Jewish  tenacity 
of  purpose,  is  now  a  second  Alexandria,  in 
which  an  immense  number  of  schools,  chiefly 


174  THE   SON   OP   A   STAR 

Jewish,  flourisli  and  yield  as  many  scholars  as 
the  Eoman  Governor,  Servien,  can  well  keep 
under  control  with  all  his  legions. 

There  is  at  this  time  amongst  many  other 
synagogues  of  the  Jews  in  Joppa  one  renowned 
wherever  the  Jewish  people  travel,  renowned 
to  them  and  to  theirs.  The  crowds  are  now 
filling  it.  Crowds  of  Romans,  Greeks,  and 
Persians  are  entering  it.  Jews  of  every  kind, 
from  the  students  of  the  schools  to  the  men 
and  elders,  and  women  of  all  ages,  are  making 
for  it  eagerly. 

Lucilla,  the  wife  of  Servien  the  Roman 
Governor,  prays  her  husband  that  she  may 
go,  and  Servien  assents,  with  the  wish  that  it 
were  compatible  with  his  place  that  he  might 
accompany  her. 

For  the  message  has  gone  forth  that  Akiba, 
the  chief  of  the  Jewish  Grand  Sanhedrin  is  to 
preach  to  the  people. 

*  In  his  voice  there  is  music  ;  in  his  words 
there  is  wisdom  ;  in  his  soul  there  is  poetry  ; 
in  his  heart  there  is  truth.' 

So  doth  Lucilla,  the  wife  of  Servien  the 
Governor,  report  to  her  lord  as  she  starts  for 
the  synagogue. 


FROM   BRITAIN   TO   JOPPA  175 

No  wonder  that  such  a  multitude  crowds 
to  hear  the  word  which  Akiba  preaches. 
Music,  wisdom,  poetry,  and  truth,  are  the 
master  powers  of  man  universal :  blended  in 
one  man  they  declare  a  man  of  men. 

There  is  a  Jewish  school  in  Joppa  for  the 
Jewish  youth.  After  the  schools  of  Alexan- 
dria, on  the  plan  of  the  best  of  which  it  is 
founded,  tliis  is  the  most  famous  school  of  the 
world. 

Why  ? 

Akiba,  the  chief  of  the  Grand  Sanhedrin 
is  the  chief  of  it.     That  is  enough. 

In  this  school  Akiba  takes  his  supreme 
delight.  He  loves  the  synagogue,  he  enjoys 
the  reading  of  the  sacred  word  :  the  Isaiahs 
are  to  him  as  waters  of  life  which  nourish  the 
soul ;  Micah  is  as  a  fire  which  purifies ;  and 
Solomon  is  as  an  art  which  glorifies  the  living 
temple  of  the  Most  High, 

But  the  school  is  still  his  choicest  treasure. 
There  he  is  the  potter  moulding  the  vital  clay 
of  twelve  thousand  scholars  into  whatsoever 
vessels  of  honour  he  chooses  them  to  be.  In 
the  school  he  constructs  the  future  of  his  race. 

All  men  call  Akiba  the  Eabbi,  or  simply 


176  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

Akiba.  There  are  many  others  called  Rabbi, 
but  he  is  the  Eabbi  of  his  people.  To  call 
him  a  chief  Rabbi  would  reduce  his  power 
to  commonplace. 

On  him  fifty  years  sit  easily.  Akiba  will 
live  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  like  our 
father  Israel,  is  the  commonly  accepted  pre- 
diction amongst  the  Jewish  community ;  a 
prediction  so  often  made  that  it  becomes  an 
ordinary  sajang,  accredited  and  passed  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  and  concentrated  into  such 
entire  belief,  that  they  who  assume  that  their 
own  lives  will  needs  be  of  shorter  span  beg, 
as  their  special  request,  that  Akiba  will  ad- 
monish and  guide  their  progeny  even  to  the 
unborn  generations. 

There  is  much  in  Akiba  of  a  personal  kind 
which  supports  these  ideas  of  superhuman 
excellency. 

He  shows  no  trace  of  age.  His  step  is 
elastic,  his  figure  erect,  his  laugh,  his  play,  his 
prayer  as  vigorous  as  that  of  a  youth  of  prime 
maturity.  Amongst  the  pupils  of  the  great 
school  he  is  a  pupil  rather  than  a  master, 
yet  reverenced  as  he  is  loved. 

All  Israel  that  is  near  to  him  sends  its  sons 


FROM    BRITAIN   TO   JOPPA  177 

to  be  taught  of  him  ;  and  as  wealth  is  the  last 
of  his  desires,  distance  alone  severs  him  from 
the  whole  of  his  people  who  would  be  his 
children. 

To  him  also  come  the  learned  men,  the 
masters  of  the  law,  and  the  prophets,  that  they 
may  help  him  in  composing  and  editing  a 
marvellous  commentary  that  is  to  go  forth  as 
anew  and  second  testament  and  interpretation, 
by  proverb,  discourse  and  legend,  of  the  old 
Scriptures  that  were  written  by  inspiration. 
These  doctors  and  '  disciples  of  the  will,'  men 
of  humble  life  and  occupation,  come  to  him 
by  night  with  their  untold  stores  of  learning, 
to  read  under  his  guidance  and  be  guided  by 
his  matchless  light. 

But  the  greatest  power  of  all  that  is  con- 
nected with  this  man,  and  that  establishes  his 
influence,  is  a  story,  already  transformed  into 
a  pious  legend,  in  which  he  is  represented. 

Who  wrote  this  legend  is  unknown.  Some 
say  it  was  a  beloved  pupil  whose  severe  studies 
cost  him  his  life.  Others  declare  that  a  wise 
woman  found  the  story  in  the  ruins  of  the 
Temple  in  the  holy  city  of  Jerusalem.  A 
third  set  affirm  that  it  came  from  the  pen  of  a 

VOL.  I.  N 


178  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

mysterious  man  banished  in  a  lonely  island, 
who  gave  it  forth,  in  prophetic  strain,  and  was 
heard  of  no  more.  From  whomsoever  derived, 
it  is  to  the  oriental  mind  of  Shemite  birth  as 
bewitching  a  story  as  ever  was  told  of  any 
man  of  woman  born  ;  a  story  next  only  in 
wonder  to  that  of  Enoch,  Elijah,  Abraham, 
Moses,  Samuel,  and  the  others  who  liad  com- 
muned with  the  angel. 

And  he  whose  mysterious  knowledge  is 
told  in  this  record  still  lives  amongst  the  living ; 
preaches  in  the  synagogue ;  teaches  in  the 
schools  ;  presides  over  the  Grand  Sanhedrin 
or  council  of  Israel  ;  and,  meeting  his  people 
daily  in  the  streets  and  houses,  is  one  with 
them. 

A  man  of  human  form  like  other  men,  but 
of  superhuman  experience  ;  a  man  whose  feet 
have  trodden  ground  which  none  since  the 
first  days  of  man  on  this  earth  have  trodden; 
whose  eyes  have  rested  on  wonders  which  no 
man  since  the  first  man  has  seen  ;  whose  ears 
have  heard  a  celestial  voice  and  answered  it ; 
and  who  yet  lives,  and  moves,  and  breathes 
amongst  his  fellow-men. 

The  very  heathen  are  influenced.    Servien, 


FEOM   BRITAIN    TO   JOPPA  179 

the  Eoman  Governor,  is  walking  one  day  to 
the  baths  in  company  with  the  princely 
Fortunatus,  the  bosom  friend  of  the  Emperor. 
They  pass  Akiba,  and  Fortunatus,  a  visitor  to 
the  Governor  and  fresh  to  Joppa,  is,  like  the 
rest  of  the  world,  struck  with  admiration,  as 
if  touched  by  some  secret  power,  when  Akiba 
goes  by. 

'  Who,'  asks  the  ever-inquisitive  stranger, 
'  who  is  this  mysterious  man  ?  ' 

'  He,'  replies  the  Governor — '  he  is  the 
most  learned  of  all  the  Jews,  the  chief  of  their 
priests.'  And  dropping  his  voice,  adds  :  '  they 
say  of  him  that  he  is  the  only  man  who  has 
entered  their  Paradise  or  the  garden  of  inno- 
cence and  come  out  of  it  alive.' 

'  Is  he  one  of  the  sect,'  enquires  Fortu- 
natus, '  of  those  some  call  Christians  ?  ' 

'  Of  none  akin,  neither  by  relationship, 
name  nor  creed.' 

'  I  am  glad  of  it.  In  Bithynia  those  people 
called  Christians  gave  our  once  great  friend, 
the  second  Phny,  when  he  was  proconsul 
there,  so  much  trouble,  he  had  to  write  to 
Trajan     concerning     them.      They     hterally 

K  2 


180  THE    SON   OP   A   STAR 

emptied  the  temples  of  our  gods  by  their 
heretical  worship.' 

'  This  man  is  none  of  them.  He  follows 
the  ancient  faith  of  his  fathers,  expounds  their 
sacred  Scriptures,  and  is  from  head  to  foot  an 
ancient  Jew  according  to  what  they  call  the 
law  of  Moses.' 

'  I  know  that  name  as  of  the  Jew  who 
wrote  a  history  of  the  creation  of  the  world, 
and  whom  the  Alexandrian  Philon  Juda^us  hath 
commented  on.  But  this  man  and  follower 
of  Moses  the  great,  what  is  his  name?' 

'Akiba.' 

'  How  dost  thou  spell  it  ? ' 

And  Fortunatus,  taking  from  his  breast 
his  tablet  and  stylus  commits  the  name,  as 
Servien  spells  it  out,  to  what  he  calls  his 
'  second  memory.' 

'And  this  legend  about  him  and  the  garden, 
what  of  that?  '  he  asks,  still  holding  the  tab- 
lets and  stylus  as  if  he  would  also  write  that 
down. 

'  Thou  shalt  hear  for  thyself,  thou  greedy 
scholar;  for  know  thou  that  my  wife  is  so 
affected  to  these  Jews,  having  their  blood  in 
her  veins,  that  she  will  often  herself  have  this 


FEOM   BRITAIN   TO   JOPPA  181 

legend  told  before  lier  as  a  sacred  drama, 
in  which  four  voices  speak  the  parts.  Thou 
shalt  hear  it  this  very  night.  Marah,  Eri, 
Tirzah,  and  Jachin,  the  first  and  third  women, 
the  second  and  fourth  men  of  our  court,  shall 
speak  the  parts  in  character.' 


182  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A    LEGEND    OF    PARADISE. 

In  the  reception  hall  of  the  Roman  Governor 
of  Joppa,  Servien,  sometimes  called  Facilis, 
because  of  the  gentleness  of  his  nature. 

In  the  presence  of  Servien  and  of  Lucilla, 
his  beautiful  wife  ;  in  the  presence  of  Fortuna- 
tus,  the  bosom  friend  of  Hadrian  the  emperor  ; 
in  the  presence  of  the  chief  officers  of  the 
household  of  Servien,  and  of  the  army  of 
occupation. 

When  the  dinner  has  been  completed  and 
the  wine  has  ceased  to  be  tasted. 

When  the  sun  has  gone  down  and  the 
great  hall  of  reception  is  lighted  with  many 
lamps,  perfumed  with  waters  of  sweetest  odour, 
decorated  with  choicest  flowers  and  cooled  with 
the  gentle  breezes  from  off  the  surface  of  the 
sea  of  mid  earth. 

When  the  slaves  have  placed  themselves 


A   LEGEND    OF   PARADISE  183 

at  the  doors  and  curtains  so  that  none  may 
intrude  to  disturb  the  story. 

When  Lucilla  has  taken  the  seat  of  honour 
between  Servien  and  Fortunatus,  and  when 
all  the  guests  and  household  are  seated. 

When  the  players  on  the  lutes  have  finished 
their  strain. 

When  the  master  of  the  ceremonies  has 
motioned  all  to  silence,  and  has  given  the  sign 
that  the  story  may  begin. 

Then,  clad  in  rich  and  picturesque  Eastern 
garments : — 

Marah,  Eri,  Tirzah,  Jachin,  enter  into  the 
presence  through  an  alcove  of  flowers,  and 
on  the  floor  of  marble  apportioned  to  them 
dehver  their  story  :— 

'  The  Legend  of  Paradise.' 

From  the  right  hand,  Marah,  in  pure  and 
plaintive  tones,  dehvers  an  invocation  to  some 
distant  hidden  power.  Then,  turning  to  the 
audience,  she  explains  the  intention  of  him 
who  has  invoked  the  unseen. 

As  her  part  ceases  Eri,  whose  voice  sounds 
as  from  afar,  declaims,  from  a  point  in  the 
centre  farthest  from  the  audience,  the 
answer  of  the  mysterious  being,  who  is  called 


184  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

the  Cherubin,  to  the  words  of  the  invoca- 
tion. 

Next,  from  the  left-hand  side,  the  gentle 
Tirzah  relates  in  four  simple  lines,  and  in  a 
tone  that  almost  reaches  song,  the  progress 
of  the  events. 

Finally,  with  an  emotional  energy  and 
mystery  which  no  one  but  an  Eastern  could 
sustain,  Jachin  declares  the  result  in  a  voice 
that  penetrates  to  the  very  marrow  of  the 
listeners,  and  fills  the  delighted  Fortunatus 
with  enthusiastic  admiration. 

The  parts  fit  the  characters  as  if  by  nature. 
Marah's  grace  is  of  prayer,  solemn,  intense, 
eager.  Eri  is  keen,  commanding,  fearful. 
Tirzah  is  slow,  timorous,  doubtful.  Jachin  is 
strong,  decisive,  bold. 

And  now  their  task  begins. 

I. 

MARAH. 

Oh  mighty  Cherubin,  with  flaming  sword 
Before  the  gate  !     Before,  before  the  gate  ! 

Touchless  with  human  hands, 

Sightless  with  human  eyes, 
Portal  of  sinful  mortal  fate, 

The  gate  of  Paradise  ! 
Oh  mighty  Cherubin,  speak  but  the  word  1 


A   LEGEND    OP   PARADISE  185 

That  I  may  see  the  garden  of  the  Lord 
And  grow  more  wise. 

Thus  spake  the  First  of  four  of  men  who  were 

The  li\'ing  pillars  of  the  deathless  race. 

Ezra  !  the  scholar  and  interpreter 

Of  the  great  book  of  life  which  time  shall  ne'er  efface. 

ERI. 

Then  from  the  flaming  sword 
Came  forth  the  sacred  word, 
Enter  thou  faithful  one ; 
Thy  work  hath  been  well  done, 
;^  Enter  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 

TIRZAH. 

Beyond  the  sword  of  fire, 
Untouched  by  fire  or  sword, 
He  gains  his  soul's  desire, 
The  gai'den  of  the  Lord. 

JACHIN. 

That  he  may  grow  more  wise 

He  enters  Paradise. 

Enters  !  Beholds  !  and  Dies  ! 


II. 

MARAH. 

Oh  dreaded  Cherubin,  whose  flaming  sword 
Doth  hide  from  mortal  eyes  the  stream  of  life  ! 
The  tree  of  good  and  evil  and  its  fruit ; 
The  place  where  God  breathed  into  man  his  breath  ; 
The  place  where  God  and  man  spake  word  to  word ; 


186  THE    SOX    OF   A    STAR 

Where  every  living  plant  and  herb  and  brute, 
Was  given  man  ;  and  from  him  torn  the  wife 
Whom  the  foul  serpent  led  aside  to  death. 
Oh  dreaded  Chernbin  !  grant  my  desire 
Unquenchable  as  thy  consiiming  fire, 

Which  guardeth  Paradise ! 
That  I  may  see  the  garden  of  the  Lord 

And  grow  more  wise. 

Thus  spake  the  Second  one  who  reached  the  goal. 

Asaph ;  a  mystic  form  who  shone, 

As  if  his  eager  soul 

Incarnate,  would  be  gone ; 

Leaving  its  fleshly  dress 

In  this  world's  wilderness. 

ERI. 

Straight  from  the  lambent  flame  the  words  were  said  ; 

If  that  thou  fearest  not  to  see 
What  made  a  brother  scholar  like  to  thee 

Fall  with  the  dead ; 
Killed  by  the  glory  he  could  not  survive. 

Then,  true  and  faithful  one  ! 

Whose  work  hath  been  well  done  ! 
Enter  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  and  live. 

TIRZAH. 

Beyond  the  sword  of  fire, 
Untouched  by  fire  or  sword. 
He  gains  his  soul's  desire, 
The  garden  of  the  Lord. 

JACHIN, 

That  he  may  grow  more  wise 
He  enters  Paradise. 


A   LEGEND   OF    PARADISE  187 

Enters  !  beholds  from  whence 

They  were  expell'd  who  did  at  first  transgress. 

Enters,  beholds  and  flies 

Back  to  the  wilderness, 

Bereft  of  every  sense  ! 


III. 

MAR  AH. 

Lo  !  glorious  Cherubin  with  flaming  sword ! 
Lo  I  I  Elisha  Ben  Abuyah  stand — 
Stored  with  all  learning  gained  in  every  land- 
Before  the  gate  whence  Eve  and  Adam  fled  ; 
Asking  of  thee  that  I  may  freely  tread 

The  plains  of  Paradise. 
That  I  may  see  the  garden  of  the  Lord 

And  grow  more  wise. 

Thus  spake  the  Third  in  tones  of  majesty ; 
Elisha  Ben  Abuyah,  who  would  pierce 
The  solid  earth,  the  sea,  the  eternal  space. 
Not  sup^iant  but  as  a  Deity, 
Asking  from  God  of  God  !     As  face  to  face 
A  ravenous  man,  feeling  his  hunger  fierce, 
Asks  man  to  feed  him  to  satiety. 

ERI. 

Again  the  voice  from  out  the  flaming  sword. 
Thou  son  of  subtlety  and  earthly  pride  ! 
Wherefore  within  thy  mantle's  flowing  folds 
Dost  thou  those  books  of  Baal  worship  hide  1 
Our  God,  a  jealous  God,  for  ever  holds 
Him  lost  to  him  who  serveth  him  in  part, 
Giving  the  lip,  yet  keeping  back  the  heart. 


188  THE   SON    OP   A   STAR 

Elisha  Ben  Abuyah  stood  dismayed, 
But  gathering  up  his  strength  and  bending  low 
Thus  to  the  flaming  Cherubin  he  said. 
These  treasured  books,  dear  as  my  own  heart's  blood, 
I  burn  !  I  burn  !  I  burn  !  that  I  may  know 
The  greater  secret  that  before  me  lies, 
The  garden  of  the  Lord  saved  from  the  flood, 
The  golden  Paradise. 

The  flaming  fire  rose  up  and  filled  the  skies  : 

A  burning  sacrifice 
Of  all  Elisha  Ben  Abuyah  loved. 
It  is  enough,  the  Cherubin  replies, 
Thou  art  forgiven,  is  the  gracious  word. 
And,  every  barrier  to  thy  wish  removed, 

Enter  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 

TIRZAH. 

Beyond  the  sword  of  fire. 
Untouched  by  fire  or  sword, 
He  gains  his  soul's  desire, 
The  garden  of  the  Lord. 

JACHIN. 

That  he  may  grow  more  wise 

He  enters  Paradise,  ' 

Boldly  he  looks  around, 

And  treads  the  holy  ground 

As  one  who  would  declare, 

I  am  the  son  and  heir 

Of  him  to  whom  these  treasures  all  belong. 

Rivers  of  life  combine, 

With  the  fruit  of  the  Tree  divine. 

To  noiM"ish  with  marvels  my  tongue. 


A   LEGEND    OF   PARADISE  189 

Of  all  that  is  here,  as  mine, 
I  will  sing  !  I  will  write  !  I  will  tell  ! 
From  the  gates  of  heaven  to  hell  : 
In  parable,  legend  and  song. 

Filled  with  the  curse  of  pride 

Elisha  Ben  Abuyah  makes  his  way,  "" 

Crushing  with  reckless  stride 

What'er  before  him  lay. 

Crushing  the  tender  plants  so  young  and  sweet, 

The  plants  of  Paradise,  beneath  his  feet. 

What  voice  is  that  he  hears, 

That  breaketh  him  with  fears  1 

What  pang  is  that  he  feels  1 

It  is  the  voice  of  God, 

The  angel's  flashing  rod. 

Oh  thou  who  kills  the  plants  of  Paradise 

That  thou,  vain  man,  may  grow  more  wise  ! 

Fly  from  my  wrath  back  to  the  wilderness. 

And  seek  again  thine  everlasting  peace. 

A  lightning  glance  !  a  split  of  earth  !  a  grave  ! 

Outside  the  flaming  gate. 
Elisha  Ben  Abuyah,  who  shall  save 
Thee  from  thy  fate  1 
In  flight  he  falls  into  that  open  grave, 
And  as  the  flint  upon  the  steel 
Strikes  into  fire,  so  he  upon  the  ground 
Bursts  into  lurid  flames,  which  he  can  feel 
Yet  never  can  extinguish.     Years  roll  round  ; 
Ages  of  sons  of  men  sink  down  and  die. 

Elisha  Ben  Abuyah  to  be  wise 
Killed  the  young  plants  of  Paradise. 
His  light  is  wisdom's  fool.     He  burns  but  never  dies. 


190  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 


IV. 


MARAH. 

Oh  faithful  Cherubin  whose  flaming  sword 

Doth  hide  the  garden  of  the  Holy  One  ! 

May  I,  a  shepherd  born  in  Israel's  fold, 

Ask  thee  to  ask  of  him  I  dare  not  name, 

Th'  Omnipotent !     World  without  end  the  same  I 

That  I  the  last  of  those  who  stood  alone 

Interpreters  of  his  most  sacred  word, 

May  through  thy  glory  enter  Paradise, 

And  by  thy  radiant  wisdom  grow  more  wise  1 

So  spake  the  last  of  those  who  stood  alone, 
The  matchless  scholars  of  the  deathless  race. 
Calm  dignity  from  off  his  image  shone, 
Sweet  modesty  was  written  on  his  face, 
With  courage  intermixed  and  gentle  grace, 
All  set  in  comeliness. 

ERI. 

With  cheerful  voice  the  guardian  spirit  spoke  : 
Akiba  the  beloved,  thy  deeds  are  known. 
He  whom  thou  servest  through  thy  nights  and  days 
Hath  read  thy  heart  of  hearts  and  seen  thy  ways. 
Thou  art  to  him  a  plain  and  open  book. 
And  what  thou  askest  now  is  all  thine  own ; 
Thine  own  for  knowledge,  wisdom,  precept,  word. 
Enter  thou  to  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 

TIRZAH. 

Beyond  the  sword  of  fire. 
Untouched  by  fire  or  sword, 


A   LEGEND    OF    PARADISE  191 

He  gains  his  soul's  desire, 
"^  The  garden  of  the  Lord  ! 

JACHIN. 

That  he  may  grow  more  wise 

Akiba  enters  Paradise. 

His  feet  retrace  each  round 

Of  the  enchanted  ground, 

Saved  only  of  all  gardens  from  the  flood. 

The  tree  of  knowledge  yields  him  living  food. 

Within  the  bower  where  Adam  slept  he  sleeps 

Fearing  no  evil :  knowing  well  that  He, 

Of  omnipresent  majesty ! 
The  Holy  One  of  Israel !  keeps 
His  steps  from  falling  and  his  sleep  from  fear, 
Life  of  his  life  :  unseen  yet  ever  near. 

That  he  might  grow  more  wise, 

Akiba  entered  Paradise. 

Entered  and  lived  and  learned. 

And  when  his  wondrous  task  was  done 

Back  through  the  wilderness  returned, 

To  teach  to  every  chosen  son 

Of  Israel  born,  the  sacred  mysteries. 

The  reciters  retire :  the  guests  depart 
from  the  house  of  Lucilla  and  Servien,  one 
alone  excepted,  the  princely  Fortunatus.  He, 
for  the  moment,  the  resident  guest  of  the 
house,  remains  wrapped  in  fixed  contempla- 
tion of  what  he  has  just  seen  and  heard. 


192  THE   SON   OF   A  STAR 


CHAPTER  Xni. 

THE    LEARNED    CHILD. 

SeRVIEN,  so  soon  as  he  can  be  spared,  makes 
his  escape  to  his  duty.  He  goes  forth  to  see 
with  his  own  eyes  that  his  sentinels  are  at 
their  posts.  Nothing  escapes  his  watchful 
ken.  His  soldiers  say  he  never  sleeps.  The 
Jews  repeat  the  saying,  and  well  they  may, 
for  he  observes  them,  specially,  by  night  as 
well  as  by  day. 

There  is  sufficient  cause  for  his  anxiety. 
The  Jews  are  placed,  by  the  chances  of  war, 
under  the  powerful  hand  of  Eome ;  they  are 
subdued,  but  they  are  not  conquered. 

A  race  is  never  conquered  until  it  is 
exterminated.  It  comes  up  like  a  flower,  it 
is  cut  down  and  withered ;  but  it  comes  up 
again  and  flourishes  unless  its  roots  and  seeds 
be  destroyed. 

And  now  in  Joppa  twelve  thousand  youths 


THE   LEARXED    CHILD  193 

of  tlie  subdued  race,  twice  the  number  of  the 
Eoman  soldiers  there,  are  at  the  schools  for 
Jews  ;  youths  filled  to  their  souls'  full  charge 
with  the  traditions  of  their  fatliers ;  ready  at 
a  moment's  notice  to  rise  and  do  whatsoever 
Akiba  should  command.  If  they  should  rise 
up  and  use  no  other  weapons  than  the  styles 
with  which  they  write,  they  were  formidable. 
If  they  were  armed  with  weapons  of  war,  they 
were  invincible. 

Happily,    weapons    are  not  permitted    to 
them. 

Akiba,  moreover,  is  a  wise  and  prudent 
father.  He  has  gathered  around  him  other 
scholars  hke  to  himself  who  have  made  learn- 
ing a  field  of  combat,  which  turns,  as  Servien 
feels,  a  war  of  swords  into  a  war  of  words. 
These  scholars  labour  incessantly  on  the  sacred 
Jewish  Scriptures.  They  translate  their  Scrip- 
tures from  their  ancient  tongue  into  Greek,  and 
even  into  Latin.  They  do  more,  they  '  search 
the  Scriptures,'  and  out  of  them,  with  endless 
activity,  they  learn  the  meaning  of  words,  to 
the  minutest  understanding  of  every  word  ; 
they  extract  from  obscure  parts  traditional 
laws  ;  they  turn  the  prophetic  parts  to   their 

VOL.  I.  O 


194  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

own  modern  use  by  the  exposition  of  legend 
and  parable  ;  and  they  add  to  the  whole  the 
study  of  those  secret  and  holy  mysteries 
wliich  appeared  to  '  him  who  saw  the  glorious 
vision  of  the  Creator  and  of  the  Chariot '  and 
who  by  his  learning  and  poetic  imagination 
was  the  prince  of  seers,  the  divine  Ezekiel. 

They  labour  to  perfect  and  advance  a  book 
of  the  ages,  which  commencing  in  Babylon  is 
to  continue  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

A  truly  harmless  task,  according  to  the 
ideas  of  Servien  and  his  compeers. 

Let  them  read,  write,  learn  and  teach,  and 
all  will  go  well. 

One  thing  more  has  Akiba  done  which 
carries  with  it  confidence.  He  has  taught  the 
diiferent  classes  of  his  countrymen  many  useful 
arts.  A  traveller  through  various  climes,  he 
has  studied  metals,  furnace  work,  and  other 
strange  devices  of  men.  He  has  learned  and 
taught  the  manufacture  of  spears,  swords, 
arrow-heads  and  shields. 

Under  strictest  supervision  of  the  Eoman 
power,  he  has  saved  his  poorer  students 
from  revolt,  due  to  destitution,  by  giving 
them  work  in  the  manufacture  of  arms  for  the 


THE   LEARNED   CHILD  195 

Eoman  legions  ;  arms  so  chaste,  so  bright,  so 
light,  so  beautiful,  the  like  of  them  has  never 
been  seen  before.  The  javelins  literally  fly. 
Servien  therefore  keeps  the  students  of  Akiba 
in  his  regular  employ  making  arms  which,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  prepared  for  the  use  of 
his  own  bodyguard  and  for  one  or  two  officers 
of  high  rank,  as  test  weapons,  are  jealously 
stored  away  to  be  of  use  should  an  insurrec- 
tion ever  break  out. 

'  They  make  lances  for  their  own  flesh,  and 
I  keep  them,'  is  a  constant  delight  in  secret 
of  Servien,  who  in  his  heart  admires  as  much 
as  he  pities  Akiba,  '  the  learned  child,'  whom 
much  learniniT  has  driven  mad.  He  con- 
gratulates  liimself,  and  Eome  also,  whenever 
he  passes  the  well-sentinelled  armoury  where 
the  precious  weapons  lie,  that  he  has  turned 
the  skill  of  so  learned  a  child  to  so  good  an 
account.  He  has  reported  this  clever  stroke 
of  policy  and  stratagem  to  the  Emperor,  who 
has  written  back  to  him  commending  his 
foresight  and  ability.  The  Emperor  has  said 
to  him  in  special  terms  of  commendation  :  '  If 
thou  canst  make  these  Jews  quarrel  amongst 
themselves  about  words  and  books  while  they 

0  3 


lOG  THE   S0^^    OF   A   STAR 

make  swords  for  thee,  thou  hast  outwitted 
even  a  Jew.'  What  higher  comphment,  brave 
Servien,  could  be  paid  to  thy  prudence  and 
thy  strategy? 

Whilst  this  crafty  commander  of  Eome, 
who  bids  fair  to  beat  a  Jew  in  subtlety,  and  who 
is  as  honest  of  soul  as  he  is  brave  and  simple 
of  heart,  makes  his  nightly  walks,  his  adored 
wife,  surrounded  by  her  maids,  remains  with 
Fortunatus  awaiting  his  return. 

The  conversation  of  Lucilla  and  Fortunatus 
turns  almost  necessarily,  certainly  naturally, 
on  the  remarkable  man  whose  legendary 
adventure  has  just  been  told  to  them  in  so 
dramatic  a  form. 

'  Putting  aside  this  curious  legend,  noble 
lady,'  observes  her  visitor,  '  in  which  we  shall 
or  shall  not  believe  according  to  our  faith  or 
our  philosophy,  what  is  the  real  story  of  this 
sinf^ular  bein^?  about  whose  life  there  must 
needs  be  something  that  is  really  and  authen- 
tically important  ?  ' 

'  There  are  as  many  stories,  Fortunatus, 
told  about  Akiba  as  there  are  moons  in  the  year. 
But  one  of  the  many  is  dearest  to  me  because  it 
contains  the  tale  of  his  lowly  origin,  his  path 


THE    LEARNED    CHILD  197 

to  immortal  fame,  and  above  all  his  true  and 
constant  love.' 

'  In  short,  it  is  a  love  story,  my  noble  lady, 
such  as  is  most  precious  to  a  woman's  heart.' 

'  I  confess  it  to  be  true,  but  even  to  tliee  it 
might  be  pleasant,  if,  till  Servien — who  always 
likes  to  hear  it — returns,  thou  wouldst  listen  to 
it  thyself.' 

'  With  avidity,  most  thoughtful  of  hostesses  ; 
a  love  story  is  to  me  the  essence  of  love,  better 
perchance  than  the  thing  itself.' 

'  Fie  !  Forunatus,  fie  !  thou  wilt  be  caught 
in  thy  own  net  one  day.  Marah,  my  child,  will 
it  tire  thee  after  all  thy  exertions  to  read,  once 
more,  the  story  ?  ' 

'  It  will  delight  me,  mistress  of  my  heart, 
to  do  thy  will ;  and  know  thou,  noble  lord,  that 
the  story  is  written  in  my  lady's  own  hand, 
though  she  tells  it  not  herself.' 

'I  divined  as  much.  What  callest  thou 
the  story  ? ' 

'  We  call  it  the  Shepherd  and  the  Princess.' 


198  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE    PRINCESS. 

When  Sisera  was  commander  of  the  army  of 
Jabin,  king  of  Tyre,  lie  sent  back  to  their 
native  Galilee  Joseph,  of  the  family  of  Abra- 
ham, and  Naomi,  his  wife. 

And  Jabin  the  king  approved  of  the  act  of 
Sisera,  but  why  he  did  remains  unknown  unto 
this  day,  for  Jabin  was  a  good  king,  whose  ear 
was  open  to  the  complaints  of  all  his  people, 
whether  native  or  mere  sojourners,  and  this 
proceeding  seemed  unjust  because  no  charge 
was  brought  either  against  the  man  or  his 
wife  that  they  had  broken  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom. 

What  is  still  more  strange,  they  were  not 
sent  forth  penniless  or  empty-handed.  They 
had  provisions  given  to  them  for  a  long  jour- 
ney, and  they  had  money  given  to  them  suffi- 
cient to  purchase  a  flock  for  the  desert. 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS       199 

But  this  was  required  of  them,  that  they 
should  avoid  all  places  where  men  live  in 
cities,  and  that  they  should  pitch  their  abode 
in  some  remote  and  secluded  place  where  they 
should  rear  flocks  of  their  own,  or  tend  the 
flocks  of  some  others  who  had  flocks  that 
called  for  a  shepherd. 

The  place  required  by  the  exiled  Joseph 
and  his  wife  Naomi  was  not  long  waited  for. 
Amongst  the  merchant  princes  who  traded  be- 
tween Tyre  and  Judea  was  one  called  Chuva, 
a  Jew  by  birth,  and  still  young,  who  had 
recently  married  a  wife  descended  from  the 
royal  line  of  David,  once  a  mighty  king  in 
Israel ;  and  the  wife  of  Chuva,  having  pity  on 
the  exiles,  prayed  of  her  lord  that  he  would 
find  them  a  dwelling-place. 

Now  Chuva  loved  his  wife  of  royal  blood 
more  than  his  wealth,  and  her  wish  was  his 
law.  So  he  provided  the  exiles  with  a  tract 
of  his  own  lands  in  a  far-ofi*  place  in  the  plains 
of  Carmel,  and  Joseph  became  the  shepherd  of 
Chuva  the  merchant  of  Tyre  and  Judea,  who 
afterwards  was  one  of  the  chief  men  of  the 
holy  city  of  Jerusalem. 

The  humble  shepherd  and  his  wife,  so  far 


200  THE   SOX    OF   A   STAR 

from  lamenting  their  fate,  were,  as  it  seemed, 
glad  to  exchange  the  life  they  had  hitherto 
led  for  their  new  home  on  the  solitary  plain. 
They,  too,  were  young  and  but  newly  married, 
and  they  set  out  as  for  a  marriage  tour,  dearly 
beloved  of  each  other,  and  trusting  in  the 
God  of  their  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob  who  was  also  called 
Israel. 

In  the  wilderness,  or  plain  in  which  they 
went,  they  lived  as  shepherd  and  shepherdess 
the  long  days  of  their  natural  life.  Only 
at  times,  when  all  Jews  go  up  to  the  Holy  City 
to  pay  their  vows  to  the  Most  High  God,  did 
they  go  from  their  place  of  duty ;  and  not 
even  then  until  their  only  son  was  old  enough 
to  tend  the  flocks  while  they  were  away. 

For  soon  after  Joseph  the  shepherd  and 
Naomi  the  shepherdess  had  settled  down  in 
the  plain,  Naomi  bore  to  Joseph  a  son,  who 
at  first  took  the  name  of  his  father  the 
shepherd,  Joseph  ;  but  his  mother,  under  the 
spirit  of  heaven  which  directs  the  souls  of  the 
faithful,  was  led  to  call  him  by  the  Tyrian 
name  of  Akiba,  which  is  said  to  mean  the  only 
one,  or  the  only  son,  under  which  name  she 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE    PRINCESS        201 

prophesied  that  he  was  to  be  their  only- 
child. 

And  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  Akiba 
was  the  only  child  born  to  Joseph  the  shepherd 
by  Naomi  his  wife.  ;   :. 

Thus  the  birth  of  Akiba  was  very  humble, 
and  in  some  manner,  as  many  think,  mysterious 
also ;  for  why  were  his  parents  driven  from 
Tyre  for  no  known  offence,  and  at  the  same 
time  loaded  with  gifts  and  money  ? 

The  wisest  man  of  men,  Akiba  himself, 
does  not  know,  how  then  shall  a  foohsh 
woman  divine  ?  She  will  be  silent,  and  will 
not  try  to  interpret  the  unknown. 

The  lad  Akiba  was  born  in  the  desert^ 
in  the  plains  of  Carmel,  and  having  to  tend 
the  flocks  kept  by  his  parents,  breathed  the 
breath  of  the  Lord  in  the  solitudes  of  his 
loftiest  temple,  the  temple  in  which  his  honour 
dwelleth,  the  temple  whose  foundations  are 
set  on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  and  whose 
covering  is  the  mantle  of  his  glory.  And  in  his 
holy  wisdom  and  pleasure  this  Lord  of  Lords 
was  gracious  to  the  youth,  and,  as  we  say, 
'  called  him,'  so  that  he  was  from  his  cradle 
beloved  of  God  as  well  as  of  his  parents  and 


202  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

of  all  whom  he  chanced  to  meet,  during  the 
many  years  he  lived  in  the  desert,  an  obedient 
son,  and  good  shepherd  of  the  flocks  of  Chuva. 

But  he  was  much  more  than  an  obedient 
son  and  shepherd. 

Amongst  the  few  treasures  which  his 
mother  Naomi  carried  to  the  plains  of  Carmel 
was  the  sacred  book  of  the  law  of  the  Jews, 
the  chronicles  of  their  judges  and  kings,  the 
history  of  their  wars,  and  the  songs  of  their 
prophets. 

All  these  she  read  to  him,  and  taught  him 
also  to  read. 

Until  the  evening  stars  threw  the  shadows 
of  things  on  the  earth,  and  until  the  moon 
lighted  the  temple  of  the  angels,  she,  on  the 
roof  of  their  house,  where  they  slept,  taught 
him  this  book. 

And  when  he  closed  his  eyes  under  the 
firmament,  the  firmament  descended  to  him 
and  enfolded  him,  until  the  rising  sun  raised 
it  again  high  above  him,  and  opened  his  eyes 
to  the  day. 

They  who  have  never  slejDt  in  the  open  air 
under  an  eastern  sky,  secure  on  the  housetop, 
can  form  no  conception  of  the  influence  which 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS        203 

such  repose  exercises  on  the  mind.  We 
Romans,  who  sleep  under  roofs  and  canopies 
made  by  man,  have  mock  purple  and  mock 
stars  for  our  envelopment ;  rich,  gorgeous, 
costly,  but  poor,  poor  imitations  of  the  cur- 
tains and  stars  which  enveloped  the  sleeping 
shepherd  boy  Akiba,  hstening  to  his  mother's 
stories,  until  every  story  was  a  true  event  in 
which  he  seemed  to  have  taken  part. 

He  was  David,  a  shepherd  standing  before  a 
giant  with  a  sling  and  a  stone  ;  he  was  Solomon, 
a  wise  king  serving  out  justice  from  his  throne. 

In  time  this  shepherd  boy  loved  the  book 
of  books  beyond  all  else  except  his  father,  his 
mother,  and  the  sheep  and  lambs  of  the  fold. 
He  knew  not  only  every  chronicle,  proverb 
and  legend,  but  every  passage,  every  word, 
every  letter.  Of  all  the  great  scholars  of  the 
scriptures  of  old  not  one  was  more  learned, 
than  this  shepherd  of  the  plain,  in  the  written 
word. 

Yet  all  this  knowledge  might  have  been 
buried  with  him  amongst  his  flocks  had  not  a 
strange  event  in  his  life  changed  the  direction 
of  his  feet. 

As  he  grew  into  manhood,  with  the  volume 


204  THE   SOX    OF   A   STAR 

of  wonders  a  living  part  of  his  wonderful 
nature,  his  heart  began  to  yearn  that  he  miglit 
do  some  great  deed,  fight  for  some  great  cause, 
remove  some  great  wrong,  build  some  great 
city  or  temple,  preach  some  great  faith,  teach 
some  great  knowledge. 

How  were  his  wishes  to  be  fulfilled  ? 

Alas,  he  knew  not.  Except  at  stray  times 
when  the  rude  merchants  of  the  desert  came 
to  carry  off  the  wool  that  had  been  sheared 
from  the  flock,  or  to  buy  the  flocks  that  had 
been  reared  for  sale  and  drive  them  away,  he 
knew  none  with  whom  to  speak.  And  these 
men  he  shrank  from ;  for  too  often  they  bore 
from  him  some  lamb  from  the  fold  that  he  had 
tended,  and  loved,  and  cherished,  and  at  whose 
last  look  his  heart  would  almost  break. 

At  length  the  fate  that  always  comes  to 
those  of  faith,  who  wait,  came  to  him. 

It  was  one  of  those  days  in  the  year 
when  on  the  plain  day  and  night  are  all  but 
one  ;  when  the  sun  gives  short  pause  from  the 
earth  and  in  his  absence  leaves  a  trail  of  light 
behind  which,  aided  by  that  from  the  stars,  is 
caught  up  by  the  eastern  glow  that  tells  of  his 
return.  .   _ 


THE    SHEPHERD    AXD    THE    PRINCESS        205 

Akiba  had  gently  cradled  liis  flock,  and 
returned  to  the  home  of  his  father  Joseph  and 
his  mother  Naomi,  with  his  mind  full  of  an 
ancient  scripture  ;  a  prophecy  of  one  Balaam, 
a  seer  of  the  bygone  ages  : — 

*  Which  saw  the  vision  of  the  Almighty, 
Falling  into  a  trance  but  having  his  eyes  open. 
I  shall  see  him,  but  not  now ; 
I  shall  behold  him,  but  not  nigh ; 
There  shall  come  a  star  out  of  Jacob 
And  a  sceptre  shall  rise  out  of  Israel, 
And  shall  smite  the  armies  of  Moab, 
And  destroy  all  the  childi'en  of  Sheth. 
And  Edom  shall  be  a  possession, 
Sier  also  shall  be  a  possession  for  his  enemies, 
And  Israel  shall  do  valiantly.' 

The  shepherd  boy  slept  on  these  thoughts, 
and  next  morning  woke  with  them  again  on 
his  mind. 

He  rose  from  his  couch,  offered  up  his 
morning  prayer,  listened  for  the  tinkling  of 
the  bells  which  told  him  that  the  fold  was 
astir,  and  leaving  his  parents  still  asleep 
descended  from  the  housetop  and  straightway 
proceeded  to  the  nearest  fold. 

As  he  traversed  the  plain  towards  this  fold 
his  practised  and  powerful  eye  caught  sight 


206  THE   SON   OF  A   STAR 

of  sometliing  in  the  extreme  distance  which 
was  new  to  him  entirely.  It  was,  he  thought, 
a  moving  train  of  living  beings  in  gorgeous 
apparel,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  an  object 
like  a  sun,  so  bright  was  it  and  so  shining, 
and  from  it  there  seemed  to  issue  filmlike 
rays  of  rainbow  colours. 

Then  he  stood  transfixed,  wondering 
whether  he  should  follow  this  light  in  its 
course  ;  but  while  he  wondered  the  gorgeous 
train  and  the  star  dissolved  gradually  away  ; 
dissolved  itself  into  the  sky,  and  ascended  to 
its  own  divine  sphere. 

Filled  with  wonder,  Akiba,  after  the  vision 
had  passed,  hastened  to  the  fold  to  find  his 
surprise  still  further  increased. 

His  Hock  was  there  as  he  had  left  it  on  the 
preceding  night :  he  counted  it,  and  the  number 
was  correct.  The  older  members  of  the  flock 
were  moving  about,  preparing  to  be  let  out  to 
go  to  the  fresh  grass  by  the  side  of  the  peace- 
ful waters,  and  the  little  lambs,  in  groups  where 
their  mothers  had  left  them,  were  playing  their 
morning  gambols  according  to  their  wont. 

But  now  a  new  sight  met  him.  In  the 
gateway  of  the  fence  lay  a  little  round  heap 


THE  SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS        207 

covered  with  a  robe  of  rich  crimson  dye 
fringed  with  a  colour  that  glowed  like  the 
bright  sun,  as  if  the  sun  itself  had  imparted 
to  it  a  portion  of  his  own  substance. 

It  was  a  Tyrian  robe  of  silk,  embroidered  in 
its  centre  with  a  mystical  sign  and  fringed  with 
golden  coloured  threads,  a  shawl  or  coverlet, 
nothing  more ;  but  to  Akiba,  who  had  ever 
been  content  with  his  coat  of  clean  sheepskin 
and  knew  no  more  of  silk  and  gold  than  he 
had  read  of  in  the  history  of  Solomon  the  wise 
king,  it  was  a  revelation. 

He  opened  the  gate  of  the  fold,  and 
raising  the  shawl  discovered  beneath  it,  sleep- 
ing like  a  lamb  folded  in  it,  a  child,  a  boy  child, 
clothed  in  pure  white  linen  and  enveloped  also 
in  a  robe  or  mantle  of  purple  with  one  bright 
golden  gem  shining  from  his  breast. 

In  his  astonishment  Akiba  raised  his  eyes 
from  the  little  sleeper  into  the  space  of  sky 
above,  and  once  more  in  the  extreme  dis- 
tance, but  now  high  in  the  firmament,  there 
beamed  forth  the  bright  light  he  had  seen  in 
the  midst  of  the  shining  train,  the  rays  from 
which  fell  down  on  to  the  breast  of  the  boy 
child,  and  again  dissolved  away. 


208  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

Oh,  richness  of  prophecy !  What  the 
prophet  liad  foretold  had  come  to  pass,  and 
he,  Akiba  the  chosen  one,  lived  to  declare  it : 

*  I  shall  see  him,  but  not  now  : 
I  shall  behold  him,  but  not  nigh.' 

Ages  had  come  and  gone  and  the  words 
were  fulfilled.  The  prophet  had  seen  the  one 
he  predicted,  but  not  in  his  mortal  course  :  he 
had  beheld  him  from  that  majestic  train  of 
spirits,  but  not  nigh. 

It  was  destined  for  this  shepherd  of  the 
plain  first  to  discover  the  star  of  Jacob  and 
leader  of  Israel. 

Henceforth,  simple  shepherd,  think  not 
of  thyself,  but  learn  and  labour  to  raise  thy 
people  and  exalt  the  star  of  thy  people  to  its 
pre-ordained  glory. 

To  him,  Akiba,  the  fulfilment  of  the  pro- 
phecy was  revealed. 

His  emotion  led  him  for  a  time  away  from 
himself.     Then  his  reason  intervened. 

'  What,'  it  said,  '  what,  deluded  simpleton, 
dost  thou  mean  by  this  ecstasy  .^  Seest  thou 
not  that  this  is  a  specimen  of  human  flesli 
and  blood  left  by  some  travellers  who  wish 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS        209 

to  conceal  it,  lose  it,  forget  it,  and  yet  save 
it  from  death.  Look  thou  under  that  boy 
child's  shoulder,  is  there  not  a  pouch  stuffed 
with  money  ?  Seize  thou  that,  it  is  thine,  and 
thou  art  wealthy  as  Chuva  thy  master,  for  lo  ! 
upon  it  is  written  in  thine  own  language  : — 
"  For  the  finder  of  the  treasure."  ' 

And  so  it  was  ;  there  was  money  of  great 
value.  And  notwithstanding  his  emotion 
Akiba,  with  the  true  instinct  of  his  race,  put 
the  whole  of  it  into  the  pouch  of  his  garment. 

Also,  still  influenced  by  his  reasoning  power, 
he  went  out  of  the  fold  to  try  and  trace  on 
the  ground  any  sign  of  foot  or  wheel  that 
should  tell  of  human  action,  in  explanation  of 
the  mystery.  Either  he  was  blind  to  such 
indications,  or  the  winds  had  wafted  them 
all  away,  and  although  in  breathless  haste  he 
scanned  the  plain  to  look  for  footprints  or 
signs  of  wheels,  he  found  none. 

As  an  eagle  scans  the  earth  and  sky,  Akiba 
scanned  the  plain,  but  he  saw  no  further  sign. 

He  returned  to  the  fold  to  find  his  flocK 
now  all  astir  and  waiting  the  guidance  of  their 
gentle  master  to  be  led  forth  for  tlie  day.  He 
let  forth  the  older  ones  according  to  his  custom, 

VOL.  I.  p 


210  THE   SON   OF   A    STAR 

retaining  as  hostages  the  lambs,  whom  their 
mothers  had  fed  and  to  whom  they  would 
certainly  return. 

This  duty  done,  Akiba  had  time  to  attend 
to  the  human  lamb  that  had  so  mysteriously 
dropt  into  his  fold.  It  was  awake  now,  and 
gambolling  like  its  four-legged  companions 
in  their  early  hours  of  play,  for  it  was  just  old 
enough  to  run,  with  little  falls  now  and  again. 

When  Akiba  came  to  the  cliild  and  picked 
up  the  shawl  that  had  covered  it,  it  clung 
round  his  lea's  and  tried  to  hide  itself  in  the 
folds,  laughing  as  children  of  health  always 
laugh  after  a  night  of  pure  and  wholesome 
sleep,  a  laugh  that  is  all  joy  and  gladness, 
like  the  young  day  itself. 

In  the  heart  of  the  shepherd,  a  heart  as 
artless  as  the  heart  of  his  foundling,  fondness 
soon  took  the  place  of  amazement.  He  sat 
down  on  the  shawl,  rolled  himself  up  in  it  to 
hide  himself,  pulled  the  child  under  it  as  the 
little  thinly  draiji^ed  it  off  him,  fondled  him 
with  tenderest  embraces,  kissed  his  sweet 
lips  as  he  hung  round  his  neck,  hugged  him, 
and  rocked  him  to  and  fro  until  he  was  giddy 
with  the  exercise. 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS        211 

Suddenly  the  child  set  up  a  baby  cry,  the 

meaning  of  which  Akiba  had  learned   from 

his   lambs.     He  knew  what   was    asked  for, 

and  words  he  well  remembered  came  into  his 

mind  : — 

'  When  the  young  ones  cry  unto  God 
They  wander  for  lack  of  meat.' 

He  carried  the  little  one  tenderly  to  the 
house  of  his  father  and  mother.  He  showed 
them  the  treasure  he  had  found  and  the  robes 
of  purple  and  gold,  and  their  hearts  were  filled 
with  joy. 

He  would  now  have  left  the  desert,  but 
Joseph  his  father  and  Naomi  his  mother 
had  pledged  themselves  there  to  remain,  and 
their  word  must  be  their  bond.  So  carefully 
conceahng  his  wealth,  he  remained  with  them 
in  tlie  desert  of  Carmel,  tending  the  flocks  of 
Chuva,  and  watching  over  the  new  addition 
to  his  flock  which  had  been  so  mysteriously 
added  to  his  care,  until  his  parents  were 
^umbered  with  their  fathers. 

After  this  event  had  occurred  the  work  of 
Akiba  as  a  shepherd  was  over.  He  was  under 
no  obligation  to  remain  away  from  the  haunts 
of  men,  and  he  pined  to  gain  knowledge  of  all 

p  2 


212  THE   SOJT   OF  A   STAR 

men  and  of  all  things.  When,  therefore,  the 
steward  of  the  merchant  of  Jerusalem  next 
came  to  him,  he  resigned  the  stewardship  of 
the  flock,  and  with  many  tears  left  the  home 
of  his  birth  and  early  years,  so  soon  as  a  suc- 
cessor appeared  to  relieve  him  of  his  duty. 

Accompanied  by  his  foundling  boy,  and 
carrying  with  him  the  rich  treasure  he  had 
discovered  and  which  he  scorned  to  touch, 
he  set  forth  for  Ceesarea,  on  the  borders  of 
the  great  sea,  of  which  city  he  had  heard  most 
as  the  abode  of  mankind. 

They  travelled  short  distances  each  day, 
and  coming  at  length  into  little  villages  and 
hamlets  Akiba  found  his  knowledo;e  of  the 
Jewish  scriptures  of  the  greatest  value.  The 
people  heard  his  reading  of  the  scriptures  with 
a  delight  they  had  never  before  experienced. 
To  them  the  inspired  words  had  been  re- 
peated in  the  worn-out  voices  of  the  syna- 
gogue, in  one  monotonous  tone,  with  an 
assumed  air  of  authority  and  with  lifeless 
breath. 

Now,  tliey  listened  to  the  living  word 
flowing  to  them  as  a  river  of  life  moved  by  a 
tongue  of  fire.     The  words  from  his  lips  had  a 


THE   SHEPHERD    AXD    THE    PRINCESS        213 

new  meaning,  as  of  one  from  the  wilderness 
declaring  the  way  of  the  Lord. 

He  spoke  to  them  through  the  prophet 
Micah,  until  they  trembled  as  if  the  prophet 
were  in  very  deed  and  truth  before  them. 
They  asked  him  for  explanations,  and  the 
lesson  came  from  him  as  a  natural  product 
of  mind.  In  many  places  they  would  have 
held  him  for  life. 

And  in  every  place  they  called  him  Rabbi, 
offering  him  food  at  their  tables  and  preparing 
for  him  and  his  the  choicest  raiment. 

Befleeting  on  these  tokens  of  recocrnition 
and  affection,  and  accepting  them  as  the  de- 
clared signs  of  a  great  mission,  Akiba  con- 
ceived that  he  beheld  still  greater  signs  in  the 
boy  whom  he  had  nurtured.  For  to  this  boy, 
when  he  was  set  up  to  read  a  chapter  of  the 
law  or  of  the  prophets,  the  multitude  listened 
with  a  hushed  wonder,  which  to  Akiba  was  full 
of  meaning. 

The  wonder  was  due  to  the  fact  that  one 
so  young  could  read  so  well,  and  the  success 
depended  really  on  the  skill  of  the  master 
who  had  taught  so  well.  But  the  master 
had  no  such  belief  in  himself.     He  was  merely 


214  TUE   SOX    OF   A   STAR 

the  instrument,  the  forerunner.  He  might  be 
the  chosen  of  Israel ;  this  boy  was  the  chosen 
of  the  chosen. 

The  boy  himself,  as  he  grew  in  strength, 
grew  in  will  and  resolution,  but  it  was  the 
will  and  resolution  of  his  master,  not  his  own. 
Akiba  moulded  him  as  a  potter  moulds  the 
vessel ;  and  filling  him  as  far  as  he  could  be  filled 
with  his  own  exalted  nature  and  hope,  con- 
structed for  himself  an  idol  at  the  feet  of  which 
he  soon  commenced  to  worship. 

'  My  maidens,'  interposed  Lucilla  at  this 
point,  '  when  they  hear  this  part  of  the  story 
commence  sometimes  to  blame  the  great  Akiba. 
I  tell  them,  Nay,  blame  him  not,  but  let 
his  action  be  a  guide  to  you.  You  set  up 
your  idols.  Is  it  not  sweet  if  one  of  you  have 
composed  a  song  to  hear  another  sing  it ;  or  if 
one  has  worked  a  tapestry  for  another  to  wish 
to  possess  it.  If  one  hath  built  a  house  is  it 
not  music  to  hear  another  praise  it ;  if  one 
has  made  a  name  is  it  not  the  crown  of  joy 
that  sons  shall  carry  it  on  from  generation  to 
generation  ? ' 

'  Truly,  sweet  lady,  we  will  find  no  fault 


THE    SHEPHERD    AND    THE    TRINCESS        215 

with  thy  defence  of  Akiba,'  repUed  the  ab- 
sorbed Fortunatus,  '  but  I  yearn  to  hear  the 
progress  of  the  story.' 

The  boy — continued  Marah  in  her  reading 
— fed  by  Akiba  with  mental  as  well  as  bodily 
food,  became  more  and  more  like  to  him, 
except  that  his  talents  were  all  reflected,  and 
that  whatever  Akiba  told  him  even  of  himself 
he  absolutely  believed. 

So  when  Akiba  said  to  him,  '  Child  of  the 
desert,  Simeon  by  name,  thou  shalt  not  die 
until  thy  mission  be  fulfilled,  for  no  man 
can  kill  thee,'  Simeon  accepted  the  statement 
with  such  perfect  faith  that  he  tempted  death 
and  confirmed  himself  in  the  belief. 

That  he  was  born  for  some  grand  purpose 
he  now  knew,  and  if,  like  the  Elijah  of  whom 
he  had  read,  he  were  to  see  a  chariot  of  fire 
ready  to  take  him  to  heaven,  he  would  not  be 
afraid,  but  would  enter  the  chariot  as  if  it 
were  his  own. 

At  last  they  reached  the  borders  of  the 
great  sea  and  came  to  C^sarea. 

To  the  shepherd  of  the  plain  the  grandeur 
of  this  little  place  was   a  marvel.     It   dazed 


21G  THE   SOX   OF  A  STAR 

liis  sight,  but  with  its  wickedness  his  heart  was 
wounded,  and  with  the  tyranny  of  its  rulers, 
at  that  time  under  Trajan,  his  soul  was  set  on 
lire.  His  impulse  was  to  do  as  it  w^as  written 
by  his  favourite  prophet : — 

'  Arise  ye  and  depart,  for  this  is  not  your  rest; 
Because  it  is  polluted  it  shall  destroy  you  : 
Even  with  a  sore  destruction.' 

Notwithstanding  this  remonstrance,  which 
seemed  to  him  almost  a  command,  he  waited 
in  Cgesarea  for  some  time,  and  founded  there 
a  school  where  many  scholars  came,  and 
where  Simeon  under  his  ever-watchful  eye  was 
taught  all  that  he  could  learn.  The  lad  grew 
in  beauty,  and  in  feats  of  strength  and  skill 
had  no  equal  in  all  the  city ;  he  kept  also  his 
own  counsel. 

So  matters  progressed  well  with  Akiba  ;  his 
school  flourished,  he  siood  guileless  and  strong. 
The  child  placed  under  his  guidance  was  good, 
and  assisted  by  one  of  his  people,  Elkanah  by 
name,  whom  he  had  taken  into  his  school 
as  a  teacher  and  master,  Akiba  pursued  his 
course  in  peace.  He  had  found  rest  that  was 
pleasant,  labour  that  was  useful.  Was  it  all 
to  last  ?  .  ■     ' 


THE   SHEPHERD   AXD    THE    PRINCESS        217 

The  God  of  his  fathers  ordained  it  other- 
wise according  to  his  divine  will.  Akiba  had 
a  call,  and  leaving  his  school  and  his  child  of 
the  desert  to  the  care  of  the  faithful  Elkanah, 
he  one  day  went  down  to  Jerusalem. 

AKIBA  THE   VANQUISHED. 

Our  story  takes  now  a  new  line.  It  tells 
of  a  man  who  has  found  a  new  master. 

Akiba  went  down  to  the  Holy  City  with 
conceptions  built  on  the  readings  of  his  child- 
hood. The  conceptions  filled  him  with  rap- 
ture ;  the  reality  smote  him  to  the  heart. 

He  raised  his  hands  in  despair. 

Is  this  Jerusalem? 

Where  are  the  gardens,  the  vineyards,  the 
mountains  of  olives,  the  streets  of  gold  his 
ardent  youth  had  pictured  ? 

Where  are  the  holy  places  ?  Where  is  the 
Temple  ?  Where  is  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant, 
and  the  Sanctuary  ? 

Where  are  the  people  who  walk  in  right- 
eousness ;  the  rulers  who  sit  at  the  gates 
giving  judgment ;  where  are  they  whose  feet 
are  beautiful  upon  the  mountains,  who  bring 
good  tidings  and  good  will  to  men  ? 


218  THE   SON   OF  A  STAR 

All  day,  all  nig] it,  sleepless,  hopeless,  fast- 
ing, restless,  this  disappomted  child  of  Israel 
traversed  the  city  of  his  glorious  dreams,  to 
find  not  one  trace  of  all  that  he  had  believed 
concerning  it. 

As  the  second  evening  fell  he  laid  himself 
down  from  pure  fatigue,  to  rest  at  the  foot  of 
a  rising  ground  called  Olivet.  And  he  slept, 
feeling  that  all  his  life  had  been  filled  by  a 
vain  thing. 

Jerusalem,  the  Holy  City,  was  not  his 
Jerusalem.  It  was  morally  dead,  but  not 
buried  ;  with  foul  wounds  of  sin,  and  poison- 
ous to  the  soul. 

The  morning  sun  roused  him  back  to  life. 
He  rose  from  the  ground,  and  obtaining  a  few 
olives  and  a  roll  of  bread  from  one  of  the 
wretched  sellers  of  food  who  had  come  forth 
in  tattered  garments,  he  fed  and  returned  to 
his  work  of  observation. 

A  more  certain  enquiry  assured  him  that 
he  was  truly  in  Jerusalem. 

The  house  of  the  Eoman  governor  was  now 
the  chief  house  of  the  city.  The  Eoman 
sentinels  guarded  the  dead  place  as  disciphned 
mercenaries  paid  for  the  duty.     Eomans  and 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS        219 

Greeks  were  there,  and  Jews  in  abundance : 
men,  women  and  children,  who  bought,  sold, 
and  wrangled  with  Ethiops,  Gauls,  and  other 
strangers,  all  commingled  and  equally  at 
home. 

He  sought  for  a  synagogue,  and  found  it, 
but  in  seeking  it  found,  also,  the  Koman  tem- 
ple, the  church  of  the  Galileans,  the  school  of 
the  unbelieving  Stoics. 

Think  on  it,  think  on  it :  false  gods,  false 
faiths,  false  schools  in  the  city  of  David  and 
Solomon  I 

He  passed  through  a  part  of  the  city 
where  the  ruins  left  by  the  soldiers  of  Vespa- 
sian and  Titus  were  still  visible,  although 
many  years  had  passed  away.  Beneath  the 
walls  he  came  to  a  place  where  some  Jewish 
women  bewailed  each  day  the  departed  glories, 
and  his  heart,  if  not  his  voice,  went  with  them  ; 
his  grief  and  shame  were  deeper  even  than 
theirs. 

Distributing  to  these  wallers  some  alms, 
he  passed  on.  Wearied,  footsore,  broken  in 
spirit,  with  bleeding  soul,  he  passed  on,  feel- 
ing that  to  die  with  the  city  of  his  life  were 
the  happiest  fate  that  could  befall  him. 


220  TUE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

He  woke  up  from  tlie  desolation  to  catcli 
a  sound  of  something  that  rang  sweetly,  like 
music.  He  found  that  he  had  wound  his  way, 
without  perceiving  the  fact,  out  of  the  ruined 
city  into  a  highway,  once  the  highway  of 
princes,  and  still,  as  it  appeared  to  him, 
wishing  to  be  deceived,  something  beautiful, 
a  place  of  fine  houses  and  palaces. 

The  noise  increased  ;  a  noise  of  the  feet  of 
horses  and  of  tinkhng  bells  ;  and  soon  all  that 
made  it  was  in  sight,  a  sight  the  like  of  which 
he  had  never  seen  before. 

A  jet  black  horse  richly  harnessed,  carry- 
ing silver  bells,  and  stepping  proudly,  as  know- 
ing that  he  carried  some  one  of  distinction, 
led  the  way. 

Around,  and  running  by  its  side,  was  a 
troop  of  slaves  gorgeously  dressed,  and  haihng 
and  shouting  as  they  turned  their  faces  to  the 
rider  of  the  horse,  raised  their  fans  of  palm- 
leaves,  and  in  every  gesture  and  exultation 
testified  their  real  or  affected  delight. 

Their  delight  might  indeed  be  real,  for 
sucli  a  face  as  that  which  beamed  back  upon 
them  were  a  joy  to  behold. 

The  face  of  a  woman  just  within  the  lines 


THE   SHEPHERD    AND    THE    PRINCESS        221 

of  womanhood,  and  animated  with  all  the  fire 
of  youthful  beauty. 

Her  dress  was  simple,  but  rich  and  flowing. 
Her  outer  robe,  enveloping  her  loosely,  fell 
gracefully  to  her  feet  which,  clad  in  sandals 
of  ivory,  held  by  straps  of  purple  velvet  that 
enlaced  her  ankles  and  ended  in  tassels  of 
gold,  rested  in  a  pair  of  bright  stirrups,  the 
left  foot  a  little  lower  than  the  right.  Over 
her  shoulders  was  cast  a  Tyrian  mantle  of  rich 
azure  blue,  worn  cornerwise,  so  that  while 
one  corner  draped  each  arm,  a  third  fell  on 
the  back  of  the  horse,  and  the  fourth,  looped 
up,  hung  over  her  forehead,  permitting  to  fall 
on  each  side  the  rich  lustrous  tresses  of  her 
dark  brown  hair,  through  which  her  ears,  like 
shells  of  pearl  bearing  pendants  of  diamonds, 
peered  forth. 

Her  dark  and  long  arched  eyebrows  over- 
hung eyes  that  were  like  light  itself,  so  bright, 
shadowless,  and  happy  ;  for  the  rest,  a  gentle 
Jewish  countenance,  supported  by  an  exquisite 
neck,  encircled  by  a  kerchief  of  woven  silver 
tied  in  a  bow  which  rested  on  her  bosom. 

Her  arms  and  hands  were  free  of  all  en- 
cumbrances   save    a    bracelet    of   pure   mal- 


222  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

leable  gold,  so  malleable  that  it  encircled  her 
right  arm  from  the  wrist  to  the  elbow  in  a 
serpentine  line.  The  bracelet  was  the  most 
significant  of  all  her  splendour.  It  was  a  pre- 
sent that  had  i^ained  for  her  a  name  amongst 
the  women  of  Jerusalem  which  some  disdained, 
but  which  all  envied. 

A  greater  seeming  contrast  than  she  and 
the  scholar  Akiba  could  not  have  been  found 
in  all  the  earth.  She  all  bright  and  fresh  as 
the  morning ;  he  all  worn,  dusty,  oppressed 
with  sorrow,  and  weary  as  the  night. 

Her  countenance  fell  as  she  gazed  on  the 
scholar  and  searcher  after  wisdom. 

In  hstening  to  the  stories  which  had  been 
related  to  her  about  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  this  child  of  the  place  had  heard 
of  one  Jesus  the  son  of  Ananas,  who  for  a  long 
time  before  the  memorable  siege  had  traversed 
the  city  crying  an  awful  cry,  and  had  continued 
that  cry  during  the  siege  until,  while  uttering 
it,  a  stone  from  a  Roman  catapult  struck  him 
amongst  the  voiceless  dead  around  him.  Was 
this  man,  this  picture  of  woe  before  her,  the 
same  son  of  Ananas  restored  to  life  ?  Would 
he   begin  to  cry  that   bitter  cry,   '  A   voice 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE    PRINCESS        223 

from  tlie  east,  a  voice  from  the  west,  a  voice 
from  the  north,  a  voice  from  the  south,  a 
voice  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  cry- 
ing Woe  !  woe  !  woe  !  to  Jerusalem '  ? 

Strangest  of  strange  coincidences,  Akiba 
had  been  seized  at  the  moment  with  an 
overpowering  impulse  to  repeat  the  very- 
words.  The  story  was  also  on  his  mind, 
and  he  had  echoed  it  but  for  the  sight  before 
him. 

What  she,  the  rich  child  of  Jerusalem, 
expected  him  to  say  she  herself  stopped  by 
her  mere  presence,  through  a  rapid  diversion 
of  his  thoughts. 

She  checked  the  movements  of  her  steed, 
and  her  chain  of  slaves  stood  still. 

For  a  moment  she  averted  her  head  to  the 
left  side  from  him  who  stood  on  her  right,  and 
holding  the  white  reins  in  her  left  hand  put 
her  right  hand  back  towards  the  pouch  sus- 
pended to  the  saddle  as  if  feeling  for  some 
coins  to  give,  through  one  of  her  slaves,  to  a 
mendicant.  Then  she  hastily  repented  the 
act,  reo;ained  the  hold  of  the  reins  in  herrij^ht 
hand,  coloured  a  deep  crimson  in  the  face,  and 
met  the  flashing  gleam  of  the  scholar  with  a 


224  THE    ^OX    OF   A   STAR 

return  shaft  keen  as  an  arrow-point,  and  so 
well  aimed  as  to  pierce  his  inmost  soul. 

A  moment  more  and  she  rode  on,  pushing 
her  steed  into  a  quicker  pace,  and  stooping 
down  to  the  chief  of  her  slaves  as  they  got 
out  of  hearing  from  the  stranger,  she  asked, 
with  an  emotion  she  could  not  altogether  sup- 
press : — 

'  Who,  Justus,  who  is  that  man  ? '  But 
Justus,  the  chief  slave,  knew  not,  neither  did 
any  of  his  band. 

'  See,'  replied  she,  with  a  voice  of  authority 
never  to  be  questioned.  '  See  that  by  nightfall 
all  that  can  be  told  of  that  man  be  brought 
to  me.' 

'  Your  slaves  will  lay  it  at  your  feet,'  and, 
without  a  moment's  loss  of  time,  the  trustiest 
of  the  band,  after  a  word  from  Justus,  was 
receiving  his  orders  to  depart  into  the  city. 

'  It  is  well,'  was  the  response.  '  See  to  it 
thoroughly.' 

She  rode  on,  but  never  before  in  so  strange 
an  ecstasy.  Now  she  paced  until  the  slaves 
were  breathless ;  suddenly  she  stopped,  so 
abruptly  as  to  pull  her  horse  back  into 
the   breasts   of    the  slaves   who   ran    behind 


THE   SHEPHERD    AND    THE    PRINCESS        22^ 

her,  driving  them  backwards  many  feet ; 
then,  as  suddenly,  she  turned  round  and  in 
deep  meditation  made  her  way  to  her  own 
house. 

Surely,  thought  the  slaves,  our  mistress 
hath  been  be-spirited  by  that  strange  man. 
And  the  slaves  were  wise. 

The  strange  man,  himself  even  more  be- 
spirited,  stood  rooted  to  the  spot  where  the 
vision  had  stopped  his  exclamations.  Breath- 
less, speechless,  sightless,  he  stood  there  so 
stricken  he  was  glad  of  the  help  of  a  poor 
man,  to  whom  the  day  before  he  had  given 
alms,  to  lead  him  to  an  inn. 

'  Who,'  he  gasped  in  Hebrew,  as  his  senses 
and  powers  of  speech  returned,  '  who,  good 
friend  of  mine  in  hour  of  need,  who  is  she  who 
with  her  slaves  passed  us  by  ?  ' 

'  She,  my  son,'  rephed  the  kindly  guide 
in  the  same  tongue,  '  she,  my  son,  is  the  last 
remaining  hnk  of  the  royal  house  of  Sala, 
an  ancestor  of  our  father  David.  She  is  the 
golden  serpent  of  Jerusalem,  the  only  child 
of  Cliuva,  the  Princess  Tyra.  Beware,  my 
son,  of  the  Princess  Tyra  the  daughter  of 
Chuva.' 

VOL.  I.  Q 


226  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

Vain  words !  as  well  tell  a  man  about  to 
be  crucified  to  beware  of  tlie  cross. 

Their  eyes  had  met  and  their  souls  had 
mingled. 

'  Love  mingles  through  the  eyes,  and  soul 
meets  soul  there ;  my  Servien  spoke  fine 
words,  but  it  was  his  eyes  won  me,'  once  more 
interposed  Lucilla. 

'  Happy  Servien,'  smiled  out  Fortunatus, 
'  but  pray  thee  go  on  with  Akiba  and  the 
golden  serpent.' 

'  Me  thinks,  wise  Eoman,  thou  hast  fallen 
in  love  with  the  mere  description  of  the  ser- 
pent of  Jerusalem.' 

'  I  plead  guilty,  that  I  may  hear  still  more.' 

Their  eyes  had  met,  continued  the  reader, 
and  he  had  been  stricken.  Nor  was  he  the 
first  that  had  been  so  wounded.  The  princess 
Tyra  of  the  royal  house  of  Sala  had  gained 
a  reputation,  that  had  gone  far  and  wide,  for 
her  prowess  and  skill  in  vanquishment. 

The  Eoman  ofi[icers  at  their  banquets 
drank  to  her  name,  the  Greek  merchants 
bought  choice  jewels  far  away,  the  memory 
of  her  the  cause  of  the  purchase  ;  the  Jewish 
youths  looked  with  envy  on  the  invaders  who 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS       227 

sought  her  hand,  some  for  her  wealth  and  all 
for  her  beauty. 

She  herself,  unconscious  of  it  as  it  seemed 
to  those  about  her,  lived  on  untouched  by 
the  daily  adoration.  Against  her  fair  fame 
not  one  spoke  a  word.  The  old  and  poor 
Jews  said  she  was  the  golden  serpent,  not 
in  blame  of  her,  but  as  indicating  that  she 
was  too  wise  to  be  caught  by  the  allurements 
before  her.  They  loved  her  to  their  hearts' 
core,  and  well  they  might,  for  she  had  no 
pleasure  so  great  as  that  of  distributing  to 
them  the  wealth  of  her  house.  Her  slaves 
knew  every  living  face  in  Jerusalem,  and 
amongst  the  Jews  every  house,  so  that  if 
want  entered  a  Jewish  house,  a  bearer  of 
good  tidings  from  the  princess  was  sure  to 
meet  it  with  befitting  aid. 

'  I  would  rather,'  said  the  Roman  Governor 
of  Jerusalem,  '  be  at  peace  with  the  Princess 
Tyra  than  have  another  legion  of  soldiers, 
for  she  holds  the  keys  of  the  city.' 

Once  from  the  Emperor  himself  his  lieu- 
tenant received  a  necklace  to  give  to  an  ally 
so  courted.  She  dared  not  refuse  acceptance 
of  the  gift,  but  in  an  hour,  dismantled  and 

q2 


228  THE   SON    OF   A    STAR 

unrecognisable,  it  was  on  its  way  to  Damascus 
for  sale,  in  separate  parts,  for  the  people  of  her 
blood. 

Her  ride  in  the  morning  on  which  she  met 
Akiba  was  on  a  mission  of  goodness.  She  was 
about  to  visit  the  oldest  representative  of  the 
House  of  Judah,  whose  end  by  length  of  days 
was  near,  and  towards  whom  she  felt  it  a  duty 
of  respect  and  dignity  to  proceed  in  princely 
train. 

The  visit  was  one  of  tlie  visits  of  her 
life,  never  forgotten,  never  put  oiT,  never 
stopped  until  this  day,  when  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  all  her  people  she  returned  without 
making  it,  and  entering  her  house  straightway 
sought  her  chamber.  The  astonishment  of 
her  women  folk  was  the  more  increased  when 
they  were  told  that  the  return  was  caused  by 
the  sight  of  a  stranger  to  Jerusalem. 

'  She  has  seen,'  they  whispered  in  their 
mystical  mode  of  thought,  '  she  has  seen  the 
face  of  Israel.' 

The  excitement  calmed  down,  the  slaves 
dispersed  themselves  to  their  various  tasks  ; 
the  attendants  resumed  their  quiet  watchings, 
but  the  Princess  re-appeared  not,  and  for  many 


THE    SHEPHERD   AND    THE    PRINCESS        229 

hours  the  mansion  was  as  silent  as  a  gorgeous 
sepulchre.  As  if  afraid  to  awaken  some  slum- 
bering much  beloved  sick  one,  the  inmates 
moved  silent  of  foot,  and  spoke  to  each  other 
in  whispers,  ready  at  any  moment  to  obey  the 
commands  of  their  mistress,  yet  not  daring  to 
approach  beyond  the  vestibule  leading  to  her 
apartments,  at  the  door  of  which  the  faithful 
Justus  reclined  and  would  have  remained  un- 
til he  died  had  the  service  been  required  of 
him. 

As  the  evening  approached  the  Princess 
re- appeared  amongst  her  people.  But  how 
changed ! 

Her  dress,  of  the  purest  white,  was  divested 
of  every  ornament  she  had  been  most  pleased 
to  wear.  Her  voice  carried  with  it  a  subdued 
gentleness  and  sweetness  ;  her  graces  of  man- 
ner, modified  by  some  sweet  sadness,  were  en- 
trancing ;  her  expression  formerly  command- 
ing, however  gentle,  was  now  of  seraphic 
beauty,  so  that  they  who  conversed  with  her 
said  to  each  other,  that  she  must  have  been 
admitted  into  the  company  of  the  heavenly 
host  and  have  learned  of  them. 

To   some  extent  these   faithful  observers 


230  THE   SON    OP   A    STAR 

were  right  in  their  conjecture.  The  Princess 
Tyra,  in  the  hours  of  her  seclusion,  had  been 
in  transporting  reverie,  according  to  her  behef, 
with  the  seraphic  host. 

She  too  had  received  her  call. 

The  face  of  Akiba  had  filled  her  with 
wonder.     It  filled  her  soul. 

It  was  a  face  she  had  expected  to  see,  and 
yet  she  could  recall  no  one  particular  moment 
of  the  expectation.  It  must  have  been  the 
face  of  Israel ! 

She  cast  herself  on  the  couch  in  the  quiet 
room  where  she  was  wont  to  muse,  to  read,  to 
sleep. 

How  long  she  remained  there  she  knew  not 
at  the  time. 

A  moment,  an  hour,  a  day,  a  year,  an  age, 
ages  of  ages ! 

She  knew  not. 

But  this  she  knew,  that  however  long  it 
was  she  rose  with  the  cry  : — ■ 

'  Oh  that  I  might  thus  live  on  for  ever.' 

Her  reverie  was  the  picture  of  things  un- 
seen, a  revelation  as  clear  as  was  ever  made  to 
human  mind  ;  for  to  her  doubts  and  philoso- 
phic questionings  were  as  follies  which    the 


THE    SHEPHERD    AND    THE    PRINCESS        231 

unbelievers  believe  in  their  heads  and  dis- 
believe in  their  hearts.  To  her  primitive  faith 
God  spoke  and  it  was  done  ;  the  sea  was  His 
and  He  made  it,  and  His  hand  formed  the 
dry  land.  He  robed  Himself  in  light  as  with 
a  garment,  and  by  His  angel  or  His  angels, 
not  by  Himself,  for  He  is  a  spirit,  but  by  them 
as  intermediaries  between  His  spirit  and  mortal 
flesh,  He  had  revealed  himself  even  to  her, 
Tyra,  the  daughter  of  Chuva  and  his  wife,  the 
princess  of  the  royal  house  of  Sala. 

In  that  sweet  revelation  she  beheld  herself 
clothed  in  white  robes  standing  in  what  had 
been  once  the  Temple  of  Solomon  in  all  its 
glory.  In  some  way,  escorted  by  an  angel 
visible  alone  to  her,  she  was  in  the  train  of 
that  great  king  at  the  time  when,  with  an 
invocation  matchless  in  its  poetic  fervour,  he 
opened  the  house  that  he  had  built.  She  heard 
the  very  words  of  the  king. 

The  sounds  of  the  voice  died  away,  and  she 
was  alone  in  the  temple.  The  king,  the  court, 
the  musicians,  the  priests,  the  servitors  were 
gone ;  the  light  of  day  was  gone  ;  the  angel 
was  gone  ;  but  she  remained. 

In  that  solemn  silence,  though  she  felt  not 


232  THE   SON   OP   A   STAR 

mortal  pain,  she  knew  that  she  was  cold  and 
by  that  sense  was  almost  roused  to  common 
life,  a  fact  she  afterwards  remembered  and 
Avhich  confirmed  her  faith.  It  was  a  passing 
moment  of  terror  lest  He  whom  the  heaven  of 
heavens  cannot  contain  should  in  very  deed 
appear,  and  she  be  consumed  by  the  glory  of 
His  presence. 

The  terror  passed  away  and  was  forgotten 
in  the  event  which  succeeded.  In  the  moment 
of  her  alarm  the  blue  veil  of  the  temple  before 
which  she  stood  melted  into  an  imperial  sky. 
The  Holy  of  holies  became  the  firmament ; 
the  ark  was  resolved  into  a  cluster  of  glorious 
stars,  and  the  cherubim  that  guarded  it  moved 
into  the  mighty  space ;  the  voices  of  unseen 
thousands  filled  the  air  with  song ;  and  a 
fragrant  incense,  communicating  an  ethereal 
delight,  completed  the  supreme  pleasure  of 
existence  in  that  new  temple  in  which  she, 
alone,  of  all  mortals,  stood  ! 

Surely  one  of  the  angels  of  light  will 
speak  to  her.  Surely  some  voice  from  the 
hosts  of  the  blessed  will  tell  this  child  of 
the  earth  why  she  is  called  and  what  she  is 
to  do. 


THE    SHEPHERD   AND   THE    PEINCESS        233 

No,  she  is  not  called  by  an  angel.  But 
yet  is  she  none  the  less  called. 

The  majesty  of  the  vision  is  subdued, 
folded  as  it  were  into  human  dimensions.  She 
is  in  the  temple  built  with  hands  once  more, 
the  veil  is  still  raised,  the  Holy  of  Holies  is 
open  to  her  favoured  view,  the  cherubim 
spread  out  their  wings  over  the  ark  of  the 
covenant,  a  heavenly  light  glows,  and  before 
the  ark,  clothed  in  the  robes  of  the  high 
priest  of  Israel  ana  prince  of  his  people,  is  the 
stranger,  the  man  stricken  with  woe  whom  she 
had  met  wandering  in  the  street  of  the  city. 

In  adoration  he  turns  his  face  to  the  ark. 
He  bends  as  if  under  the  weight  of  a  load 
heavier  than  he  can  bear.  He  will  fall ! 
She  rushes  to  save  him,  but  the  veil  of  the 
temple  descends  between  them,  and  with  the 
cry  of  joy  of  which  we  have  already  heard, 
she  is  restored  to  common  life  and  its  common 
realities. 

'  Truly,  sweet  lady,  I  will  confide  to  thee 
aU  the  love  stories  of  my  history,'  murmurs  the 
delighted  Fortunatus,  as  Marah  for  a  moment 
rested  from  her  narrative,  '  that  thou  mayest 
embalm  them  in  such  choice  setting.     I  will 


234  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

be  sent  down  to  posterity  by  thee,  a  perfect 
memory  of  love,  in  a  sarcophagus  of  fancy 
and  a  pyramid  of  fame.  Now  I  presume,  in 
my  earthly  fashion,  they  are  going  to  be 
married  and  for  ever  happy.' 

'  Anticipate  not  too  rashly.  Oh  hard  philo- 
sopher,' resumed  Lucilla.  '  But  Marah  must 
read  on.' 

In  time  the  news  was  spread  abroad 
that  the  golden  serpent  of  Jerusalem  had  been 
charmed  and  won  by  the  eyes  of  a  poor  Eabbi 
named  Akiba,  once  the  shepherd  servant  of 
Chuva  her  father.  '  And  it  is  as  it  should  be,' 
said  the  w^ser  men  of  the  city,  '  since  beauty 
and  wealth  are  the  best  friends  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge.' 

'  When  the  Princess  Tyra  gives  up  her  rule 
in  Jerusalem  CiBsar  must  send  me  another 
legion,'  said  the  Governor  of  Jerusalem. 

'  What  an  ancient  fool  was  I  to  sacrifice 
all  my  little  store  to  buy  a  bracelet  for  that 
golden  serpent ! '  sighed  Damos  the  Greek 
merchant,  who  with  his  native  craft  believed 
that  the  way  to  win  a  woman's  love  was  to 
bedeck  her  with  rich  jewels. 

And  hundreds  of  poor  hearts  throbbed 
with  fear  lest    their   homes    should  lose  the 


THE   SHEPHEED   A^D    THE    PRINCESS        235 

liglit  of  her  countenance  and  the  generosity 
of  her  hand. 

And  her  attendants  and  slaves  whispered 
to  each  other,  '  When  shall  we  have  another 
home  like  this  in  the  house  of  our  dearest 
mistress  and  friend  ?  ' 

With  it  all  there  was  rejoicing,  for  the  news 
of  marriage  is  always  the  hope  of  a  festival. 

The  sweet  Tyra  lived  in  hope,  and  Akiba 
the  scholar  waited  in  its  embrace,  For  the 
moment  all  ambition,  all  effort  of  learning  was 
lost  in  this  blissful  swiftly  running  tide  of  love. 

Alas  !  alas  !  that  such  a  tide  should  receive 
one  moment  of  interruption. 

Yet  Fate  ordained  it,  and  so  it  was. 

Chuva,  the  father  of  the  happy  maiden, 
was  away  in  Tyre,  from  whence  his  wealth 
was  derived.  Never  doubting  his  assent,  the 
Princess,  his  only  beloved  child,  despatched  to 
him  trusty  messengers  conveying  the  news  of 
her  love,  the  true  history  of  her  lover,  the 
account  of  his  great  learning,  wisdom,  and 
goodness,  the  beauty  of  his  person,  and  all 
else  that  a  fond  and  spoiled  maiden  in  pangs 
of  love  would,  under  such  circumstances,  say 
to  an  adoring  parent. 


236  THE    SOX    OF   A   STAR 

Chiiva,  when  lie  heard  the  news,  accepted 
the  message  with  a  rage  before  unknown  by 
his  oldest  friends.  He  sent  back  the  messenger 
hastily  with  imprecations  ;  in  his  great  wrath 
bade  the  sweet  princess  leave  his  house  forth- 
with and  speak  to  him  no  more  ;  made  a  new 
testament,  leaving  all  his  wealth  away  from 
her,  and  added  to  the  document  the  blicrhtinj? 

'  Co 

curse  of  his  fathers  on  her  and  hers. 

The  princess  received  the  news  in  despair. 
Then,  recovering  her  fortitude,  she  clothed 
herself  in  mourning  as  for  one  dead,  and 
sending  for  Akiba  told  him  all,  bidding  him 
hold  her,  now  no  longer  a  princess  but  a  poor 
daughter  of  Jerusalem,  unworthy  the  love  of 
one  so  great  and  learned  and  wise  as  he. 

'  Nay,  my  greater  and  dearer  love,' exclaimed 
Akiba, '  be  still  mine  own.  Thy  wealth,  which  I 
never  wanted  nor  envied,  is  dross  compared  to 
thee.  Be  thou  alone  the  wealth.  Thy  father's 
wealth  is  the  sweeping  of  the  streets  ;  thou  art 
the  dust  of  the  stars,  and  more  than  ever  mine.' 

What  could  the  Princess  Tyra  do  or  say 
after  such  words  ? 

As  may  be  believed,  she  left  her  princely 
palace  even  with  joy ;  consecrated  with  simplest 


THE    SHEPHERD    AND    THE    PRINCESS        237 

marriage  vows  her  life  to  her  beloved,  fol- 
lowed  him,  cherished  him,  and  day  by  day 
was  more  and  more  enriched  by  the  return  of 
his  affection. 

As  a  teacher  Akiba  could  easily  make  his 
way,  so  that  the  princess  took  not  one  precious 
treasure  from  her  father's  house.  As  her  dead 
mother  had  left  all  in  order,  so  she,  disturbing 
no  single  thing,  tore  herself  from  her  weep- 
ing maids  and  slaves,  and  forsaking  all  others 
clung  to  her  bosom  lord. 

They  travelled  and  taught  until  they 
reached  Alexandria,  the  city  of  scholars,  where 
Philon  Judasus  had  lived  and  written,  and 
where  Jews  were  esteemed  for  their  wisdom. 

In  Alexandria  there  was  a  grand  syna- 
gogue in  which,  on  days  of  worship,  the  men 
sat  apart  according  to  their  guilds ;  the  gold- 
smiths in  their  parts,  the  coppersmiths  in  theirs, 
the  joiners  in  theirs,  the  weavers  in  theirs ; 
for  Jews  always  divide  themselves  into  guilds, 
and  will  do  so  through  all  time. 

At  the  foot  of  all  the  guilds  might  be  seen 
those  who  waited  for  work,  and  there  Akiba 
took  his  seat. 

In  the  centre   the  Reader,  clad  in  white 


238  THE   SON   OP   A   STAR 

vestments,  bore  the  Sudarm,  or  flag  with  which 
to  give  the  great  congregation  the  signal  for 
the  rino-ino;  Alleluiah  and  the  loud  Amen. 

Above  all  sat  the  seventy,  the  elders  of  the 
people,  on  seats  of  gold. 

And  from  her  place  on  the  women's  side 
the  lovely  Princess  Tyra,  the  beholden  of 
all  beholders,  so  ravishing  was  her  beauty, 
watched  her  husband  sitting  humbly  at  the 
feet  of  the  guilds  waiting  for  honest  work. 

They  asked  him,  when  the  worship  was 
over : — 

'  Who  art  thou  and  what  is  thy  vocation, 
and  who  is  this  woman  thy  wife  ? ' 

It  was  a  mere  ceremony,  for  in  truth  the 
whole  story  and  the  fame  of  Akiba  and  the 
princess  had  preceded  them. 

Soon,  very  soon,  Akiba  became  in  Alex- 
andria the  most  renowned  teacher  there ; 
learned  above  all  others,  and  the  central  occu- 
pant of  the  golden  seat  of  the  synagogue.  So 
do  those  that  humble  themselves  become 
exalted. 

They  tarried  in  Alexandria  seven  years 
and  then  they  returned  to  Jerusalem,  for 
Tyra  still  mourned  for  her  father's  love,  and 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PEINCESS        239 

having  now  a  son  hoped  to  win  forgiveness,  if 
not  by  her  own  persuasion  by  that  of  her  child, 
who  inherited  her  beauty  of  person  and  his 
father's  intelHgent  mind- 

Entering  Jerusalem  in  the  quietest  manner 
and  making  themselves  known  to  none  of  the 
people,  Tyra  with  her  son  sought  her  father's 
house,  and  communicating  her  wishes  to  the 
faithful  servants,  whose  love  she  had  never 
lost,  stood  before  Chuva,  her  sire,  and  placing 
her  child  also  before  him  prayed  his  pity,  his 
forgiveness,  and  his  blessing;. 

It  was  a  pleading  one  would  have  thought 
that  no  man  could  have  resisted,  and  when 
the  child  raised  his  ruby  lips,  and  put  out  his 
little  hand,  Chuva  was  indeed  touched  to  the 
heart  by  both  child  and  grandchild,  for  these 
were  all  the  living  wealth  that  he  possessed. 

But  he  was  a  Jew,  and  a  Jew,  it  is  declared, 
never  forgives. 

He  sent  them  both  from  his  presence,  or 
rather  he  withdrew  from  them.  He  left  them 
in  their  tears  and  sobs  on  their  knees,  and 
entered  the  court  of  his  house  where  strangers 
wait,  meaning  to  take  the  air  and  recover  his 
anger  and  cool  his  rebellious  heart. 


240  THE   SOX   OF  A   STAR 

In  the  outer  court  of  his  house  he  found,  to 
his  surprise,  a  stranger  of  noble  build,  tall  and 
motionless,  before  whose  searching  glance  yet 
gentle  expression  he,  Chuva,  shook  and  trem- 
bled. 

Stricken  with  the  superstition  common  to 
worldly  minds,  the  old  man,  in  the  suddenness 
of  his  wonder,  believed  that  he  was  visited  by 
some  being  of  supernatural  gifts  and  power. 

'What  asketh  my  lord  of  his  servant?' 
gasped  the  affrighted  merchant.  'Ask  only 
and  thou  shalt  have.' 

'  I  ask  for  nothing,'  replied  the  visitor,  '  I 
come  to  claim  my  own.  Akiba  waits  to  re- 
move from  hate  to  love  his  wife  and  son.' 

In  Ma^nes  there  is  said  to  be  an  earth  or 
stone  that  draws  to  it  or  repels  from  it,  as  it 
wills,  all  of  its  kind  that  are  near  to  it ;  and 
amongst  men  there  are  they  who  have  the 
power  of  that  stone. 

Akiba  was  a  prince  of  the  power,  and 
Chuva  was  under  his  magical  spell.  Had  he 
dared,  Chuva  would  have  thrown  himself  on 
the  breast  of  his  conqueror  ;  as  it  was,  he  fell 
at  his  feet,  but,  raised  by  the  strong  and 
loving  arms  that  soon    surrounded    him,    he 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE   PRINCESS        241 

very  quickly  discovered  himself  the  centre  of  his 
three  children,  they  the  objects  of  his  proud 
admiration,  and  he  of  their  united  love. 

Chuva  revoked  the  will  he  had  made,  left 
all  his  treasures  to  Akiba  the  wise,  and  there- 
with crowned  the  success  of  him  who  after- 
wards entered  Paradise,  and  who  is  now  the 
chief  of  his  people,  for  though  learning  be 
ever  so  great,  wealth  well-spent  will  make  it 
greater. 

But,  as  it  is  written,  '  Boast  not  thyself  of 
to-morrow,  for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day 
may  bring  forth  ; '  so  whilst  Akiba  and  his  son 
were  away  to  visit  Alexandria  a  plague  struck 
the  holy  city,  and  when  on  his  return  he 
landed  here  at  Joppa  a  messenger  met  him 
to  tell  him  that  both  Chuva  and  the  Princess 
Tyra  were  in  the  home  of  the  departed,  that 
their  last  breaths  had  carried  his  beloved 
name,  and  that  their  last  hopes  were  that  he 
would  pray  for  them,  that  they  might  be  set 
free  from  the  prison  where  the  souls  of  the 
dead,  purified  from  their  sins,  are  made  fit 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

"We  have  a  promise  that  when  the  gates 

VOL.  I.  K 


242  THE    SON    OF   A   STAR 

of  heaven  are  shut  to  prayer  they  are  open  to 
tears,  and  in  that  promise  Akiba  found  rehef 
for  liis  bursting  heart.  Then  followed  the 
prayer  which  the  Eonians  know  not,  the  prayer 
that  is  only  Israel's  weapon,  a  weapon  tried 
in  a  thousand  battles,  a  weapon  inherited  from 
the  fathers  of  Israel. 

And  Akiba  taught  his  little  son  that  prayer 
which  Israel  ever  repeats  when  the  good  die 
and  the  earth  loses  them  : — 

'  Blessed  is  the  righteous  judge.' 

To  Jerusalem  Akiba  bent  his  way,  to  find 
his  home  still  a  house  of  mourning.  But 
when  he  had  performed  all  the  rites  of  holi- 
ness and  honour  to  his  lost  ones,  he  came  back 
to  Joppa  as  to  the  place  of  his  call,  that  he 
might  here  obey  the  word,  and  find  peace  in 
his  sorrow. 

Honour'  the  sons  of  the  poor,  for  it  is  they  who 
bring  knowledge  into  glory. 

And  by  these  words  Akiba  lives  to  this  hour. 

'  A  strange,  strai.ge  history,'  observes 
Fortunatus  as  Marah's  voice  ceases.  '  But 
wliat,  I  pray  thee,  was  the  fate  of  the  foundhng 
who  brought  Akiba  his  first  treasure  ? ' 


THE   SHEPHERD   AND   THE    PRINCESS        24 


o 


*  Ah,  thereby  hangs  a  mystery  that  even 
Lucilla  cannot  solve,  nor  Akiba  himself,'  broke 
in  the  matter-of-fact  Servien,  who  having 
finished  his  inspection  had  rejoined  the  listen- 
ing group.  '  When  Akiba,  after  his  tour  of 
love  had  ended,  went  with  his  wife  to  Caesarea 
to  fetch  the  boy,  in  whose  fate  her  woman's 
heart  was  moved,  it  was  not  to  be  found.  The 
very  house  in  which  he  had  been  left  was 
rased  to  the  earth  ;  the  school  was  no  more, 
All  that  could  be  learned  was  that  a  rather 
sharp  Jewish  quarrel,  in  some  way  connected 
with  the  synagogue,  had  arisen  in  Cassarea ; 
that  some  Jews  of  Jerusalem  and  some  Jews 
of  Samaria  had  disputed  for  possession  of  the 
synagogue ;  that  a  Eoman  force  had  quelled 
the  disturbance,  not  without  bloodshed,  and 
that  when  all  was  over,  the  master  of  the 
school,  connected  with  the  place,  who  had 
played  a  leading  part  in  the  disturbance  as  a 
Jew  of  Galilee,  and  who  more  than  once  before 
had  made  himself  most  objectionable  and  re- 
bellious to  the  power  of  Caisar,  was  crucified, 
and  that  all  who  belonged  to  him  had  disap 
peared  for  ever. 

'  There  is  a  rumour  that  Trajan  himself, 

E  2 


244  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

who  was  at  that  time  in  Jerusalem,  had  some 
hand  in  this  affair,  for  reasons  more  weighty 
than  at  first  sight  would  appear.  But  this  has 
now  become  an  old  wife's  story,  well-nigh 
forgotten  or  treated  as  fable.' 

As  the  night  is  far  advanced  and  Servien 
is  weary,  the  friends  separate  for  rest  and 
sleep,  and  Fortunatus,  with  a  courteous  fare- 
"^"^ell  to  his  hostess  and  host,  seeks  his  chamber. 

Yet  long  after  he  is  ensconced  in  that 
quiet  retreat  he  recalls  the  story  he  has  heard, 
for  he  was  in  C^sarea  when  Trajan  was  at 
Jerusalem,  and  if  some  advice  he  then  gave 
liad  been  followed,  many  events  which  have 
been  related  in  these  pages,  with  many  which 
have  to  follow,  had  never  occurred,  and  this 
record  of'  them  had  never  been  written. 

So  true  it  is  that  the  smallest  incidents  of 
one  age  may  extend  through  ages,  and  that 
there  is  nothing  human,  however  little,  that 
may  not  leave  a  permanent  mark  in  the  book 
of  humanity. 


245 


CHAPTER  XV 

SCHOLARS    AHEAD. 

The  day  following  upon  the  recital  of  the  his- 
tory of  Akiba  the  Wise  by  the  wife  of  Servien, 
was  rapidly  passed  by  her  exemplary  hus- 
band in  the  company  of  his  friend  and  visitor, 
the  learned  and  accomplished  Fortunatus,  in 
inspecting  the  towers  and  places  of  strength 
of  Joppa,  the  legion  that  was  stationed  there, 
the  armoury,  the  weapons,  the  shipping,  and 
the  surrounding  country, 

Servien  had  now  his  history  to  tell ;  how 
Cestius  the  Roman  general,  during  the  time 
of  the  Jewish  revolt  in  the  reign  of  Nero,  had 
taken  Joppa  by  a  combined  movement  on  sea 
and  land,  had  destroyed  eight  thousand  of  its 
people,  and  had  laid  the  place  waste ;  how  it 
then  became  the  centre  or  home  of  a  piratical 
navy,  which  made  the  sea  from  Egypt  to  Tyre, 
and  even  across  to  the  isles  of  Greece,  dan- 


246  THE   SON    OF   A    STAR 

tjerous,  if  not  impassable ;  how  Vespasian,  in 
his  time,  sent  a  force  which  drove  the  pirates 
to  their  ships  on  the  sea,  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  Roman  darts  ;  how  '  a  black  north  wind  ' 
forcing  the  pirates  back  upon  the  rocks,  left 
them  so  much  to  the  mercy  of  their  enemies 
tliat  they  were  destroyed  by  thousands,  many 
falling  upon  their  own  swords,  so  that  the  sea 
was  reddened  for  some  miles  with  their  blood; 
how  Vespasian  determined,  upon  this  recapture 
of  the  place,  to  make  it  a  strong  Roman 
fortress  or  camp,  and  left  there  many  horse- 
men and  some  foot,  who  laid  bare  the  country 
all  round  about ;  and  how,  for  a  long  period, 
the  town  remained  nothimr  more  than  a  soli- 
tary  place  of  Roman  soldiery. 

But  Servien  had  also  a  later  story  to  tell. 
He  told  that  the  number  of  ships  from  the 
Great  Sea  still  so  continuously  put  in  to  Joppa 
that,  in  spite  of  Rome,  it  became  once  more 
a  port  or  gateway  to  Jerusalem ;  that  Greeks 
and  Romans,  as  well  as  Jews,  frequented  it ; 
that  in  time  the  Jews  from  Phcenicia  and 
Egypt  and  other  parts  of  the  world  settled 
there  under  Roman  rule ;  that  with  their 
usual  genius  the  Jews  brought  trade,  money. 


SCHOLARS   AHEAD  247 

and  wealth  to  the  spot,  together  with  much 
learning  and  life  ;  and  that,  giving  up  all 
thoughts  of  war,  they  had  turned  the  recon- 
structed place,  mainly  by  the  influence  of 
Akiba,  into  a  great  school,  to  which  over 
twelve  thousand  scholars  resorted,  to  pass 
from  it,  by  its  ready  exit,  to  the  schools  of 
Alexandria,  Athens,  and  Eome  itself,  bearing 
forth  their  learning,  and  bringing  back  the 
learning  of  other  peoples  and  lands. 

'  Thou  art  as  great  an  enthusiast,  my  Ser- 
vien,  about  these  Judeans  as  thy  wife,'  observed 
Fortunatus, '  and,  in  truth,  thou  hast  measured 
them  correctly  ;  they  are  traders  in  wisdom  as 
well  as  in  money.  But  art  thou  sure  about 
their  h->yalty  ?  These  weapons  they  forge  for 
thee,  hast  thou  confidence  that  thou  art  the 
only  keeper  of  all  that  are  made  ? ' 

'  Confident,'  replied  Servien.  '  They  make 
the  weapons  at  Akiba's  forges,  not  by  multi- 
tudes of  men  working  there,  but  by  a  very  few 
students  at  a  time,  as  a  pastime  of  the  schools, 
and  under  the  eye  always  of  our  centurions, 
as  thine  own  eyes  shall  witness.' 

Not  a  bench,  not  a  class,  not  a  work, 
mental   or   physical,  of  the  great  school   of 


248  THE   SON   OF   A    STAR 

Aklba   at   Joppa   escapes  the  observation  of 
Fortimatus. 

A  poor  soldier  compared  with  Servien,  he 
is  a  better  soldier  here.  His  tablets  fill  as  he 
passes  from  one  part  to  another.  He  will 
show  the  tablets  to  Caesar;  he  will  perhaps 
show  them  to  the  world,  publish  them  if  he 
shall  live.  His  sentences  are  of  necessity  brief, 
but,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  specimens  below, 
are  sufficient  to  help  his  memory,  as  so  many 
rests  for  it,  when  he  shall  sit  down  in  his  study 
in  his  garden  at  Rome  in  sweet  retirement. 

Excerpts  from  the  Note-book  of  Fortunatus  of 
Rome  respecting  Joppa  and  the  Jews  there 
IN  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Hadrian. 

'  The  common  statement  that  there  are  twelve  thousand 
scholars  at  Joppa  under  Akiba  the  Wise  is  less  than  the 
fact. 

'  There  are  two  hundred  youthful  Jews  in  each  class, 
and  there  are  seventy-two  classes,  after  their  mystic 
number. 

'  The  youths  are  all  strong  and  thoughtful,  they  fill 
up  half  the  day  at  their  books,  the  rest  in  bodily  exercises 
or  manual  labour. 

*  They  march,  and  run,  and  obey  words  of  command 
like  men  of  war,  but  Servien  wisely  allows  them  no 
weapons,  they  may  not  even  discharge  a  bow,  though  they 
themselves  have  made  it. 

'  They  write  with  a  stylus  half  a  cubit  long,  which 


SCHOLARS   AHEAD  249 

they  carry  in  their  girdles  point  upwards,  so  that  it  may 
be  distinguished  from  a  dagger.     Why  so  long  1 

'They  have  remarkable  skill  in  the  manufacture  of 
weapons.  In  every  school  there  is  a  forge  at  which  they 
make,  each  day,  a  sword,  a  bow,  a  javelin,  and  a  spear, 
without  interfering  with  the  ordinary  work  of  learning. 

'  They  make  armour  also,  helmets,  breastplates,  and 
chainwork,  with  fine  skill. 

'In  an  emergency  they  could  equip  a  thousand  sol- 
diers a  week. 

'  Servien  only  allows  one  class  a  day  to  make  weapons, 
all  of  which  weapons  are  removed  as  they  are  finished. 

'  Servien  directed  that  one  class  should  make  before 
us  a  bow,  a  sword,  a  shield,  and  a  javelin.  Four  sets  of 
the  youths  were  put  to  the  task,  seven  to  the  bow,  seven  to 
the  sword,  seven  to  the  shield,  and  seven  to  the  javelin. 

'  These  Jews  do  everything  by  sevens.     Why  l 

'  They  sing  in  turns,  during  their  work,  some  sacred 
song  that  bears  on  what  they  are  doing. 

'  The  youths  we  met  sang  sayings  taken  from  their 
books  as  they  worked,  according  to  the  labour.    Thus : 

'  *'  Iron  is  taken  from  the  earth. 

*  "  Brass  is  melted  out  of  stone. 

'  "  Iron  sharpeneth  iron,  and  the  face  of  a  man  that  of 
his  friend. 

'  "  Og,  king  of  Bashan,  lo  his  bedstead  was  of  iron  ; 
nine  cubits  long,  and  four  cvibits  broad. 

'  "  Thou  shalt  bi-eak  them  with  a  rod  of  iron." 

'  Then  they  sang  some  weird  prophecy  about  a  great 
king  who  saw  a  great  image  with  feet  of  iron,  that  was 
smitten  by  a  stone  cut  without  hands.  The  image 
represented  some  kingdom  which  the  stone  should  crush. 

*  The  work  proceeded  with  the  singing.  They  gave  to 
iron  a  spring,  and  a  bow  was  wrought  out  of  such  iron, 
and  a  sword  like  the  finest  of  the  east ;  the  sword  bent 


250  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

like  the  bow ;  and  a  javelin,  made  for  Servien,  was  cast  by 
him  full  fifty  footsteps,  into  a  figure  of  wood  shaped  like 
a  man, 

*  These  youths  obey  their  superiors  like  soldiers, 
'  They  make  the  sun  their  fellow-workman. 

*  They  build  and  furnish  their  own  habitations,  and 
earn  their  own  bread. 

'  They  are  taught  leech-craft  and  other  useful  callings, 
"  because,"  say  their  fathers,  "  a  man  who  fails  to  give  his 
son  a  trade  maketh  him  a  rogue." 

'  Would  that  our  Roman  fathers  believed  and  prac- 
tised the  same  rule. 

'  They  share  equally  each  other's  goods,  and  him  that 
would  be  greatest  amongst  them  they  make  the  least, 
because  their  scripture  tells  them  that  a  good  name  is 
choicer  than  riches  ;  that  the  rich  man  is  wise  in  his  own 
conceit;  but,  that  the  poor  man,  who  has  understanding, 
finds  him  out, 

'  Would  that  our  Roman  youths  were  taught  such 
wisdom. 

'  They  are  expert  as  fishermen. 

*  They  make  their  own  bread  and  raiment. 

*  They  drink  no  wine.  Wine,  they  are  told  in  one  of 
their  proverbs,  is  a  mocker. 

*  They  learn  every  tongue. 

*  They  ax'e  sent  forth  to  gain  more  knowledge. 

And  they  worship  day  and  night  the  God  of  their 
fathers,  declaring  boldly  that  He,  one  God,  is  alone  to  be 
worshipped. 

'  They  abhor  graven  images,  and  will  rather  die  than 
worship  them. 

*  They  obey  the  laws  of  Caesar,  but  will  not  bow  down 
nor  burn  incense  before  his  image,  because  they  say  their 
God  is  a  jealous  God,  and  visits  the  sins  of  the  fathers  on 
the  children  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 


SCHOLARS    AHEAD  251 

'  Their  God  has  no  form,  and  no  image  of  Him  exists. 
Enquiidng  his  name,  they  refuse  to  pronounce  it  because 
it  is  too  sacred  to  be  uttered.  He,  they  say,  is  a  spirit 
whom  no  one  hath  seen ;  but  bis  angel  or  intermediator 
may  communicate  with  man,  and  his  own  spirit  fills  man. 

'  They  keep  holy  the  seventh  day  of  the  week.  They 
have  daily  prayers  and  services,  each  hour  of  the  day  being 
set  apart  for  some  particular  service. 

'  These  religious  rites  Servien  is  instructed  by  Cfesar 
not  to  interrupt,  so  the  youths  grow  bold.  They  meet  in 
their  synagogues ;  they  sing  a  sacred  hymn ;  they  read,  in 
turn,  lessons  from  their  scriptures ;  they  offer  up  prayers 
to  their  Creator ;  they  chant  psalms ;  they  make  re- 
sponses ;  and  they  listen  to  their  rabbis  who  preach  to 
them  from  a  tribune  or  from  the  altar.  All  this  they  are 
permitted  to  do,  but  one  thing  Servien  will  not  allow 
them  to  do,  because  it  would  put  them  in  possession  of 
knives,  axes,  and  other  weapons  :  they  may  not  offer  up 
the  bodies  of  animals  to  their  deity,  no,  not  even  at  festi 
vals. 

'  But  on  festival  days  they  are  allowed  to  burn  the 
fat  of  animals,  as  candles,  with  incense,  at  the  altar,  by 
which  they  raise  a  savoury  and  sweet  odour  with  fire 
and  smoke.  A  symbolical  sacrifice  for  which  they  are 
grateful. 

'  The  priest  stands  before  the  altar,  wearing  twelve 
jewels  on  his  breast,  and  richly  robed.  The  singers  in 
white  robes  stand  behind  the  priest  before  the  altar. 
They  all  turn  to  the  east  when  they  pray,  and  they  all 
kneel  when  the  commandments  of  their  early  prophet  are 
declared  from  the  altar. 

'  Once  yearly  they  hold  a  "  passover,"  or  religious 
feast  in  remembrance  of  their  great  deliverance  from 
Egypt. 

'  Once   yearly   they   have    a    day  for  atonement   of 


*252  THE   SOX   OF   A   STAR 

their  sina,  when  they  sit  all  day  in  the  synagogue  and 
confess  theii-  sins  with  many  prayers,  and  count  their 
prayers  with  beads,  which  they  carry  round  their  necks. 

'  Like  the  Egyptians,  they  bury  their  dead.  Ques- 
tioned as  to  the  souls  of  their  dead  they  are  mysterious, 
but  speak  of  some  prison  or  place  of  puri6cation,  and  say 
it  is  good  for  the  living  to  pray  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
dead  from  it. 

*  Pressed  on  the  question  whether  they  expect  a  new 
deliverer  to  arise  amongst  them  as  a  Messiah,  which  is 
always  laid  to  their  charge,  they  answer  invariably  in 
the  same  significant  words :  "  The  Holy  One  of  Israel 
is  our  law-giver,  and  Caesar  is  Caesar.  The  will  of  the 
Holy  One  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven," 

'  From  the  uniformity  of  this  saying  they  must  have 
been  trained  to  declare  it. 

'  Many  of  these  questions  and  answers  amused  Ser- 
vien,  because  he,  who  has  married  one  of  their  blood,  a 
wife  to  whom  he  is  childishly  devoted,  thought  I  had  met 
my  masters  in  wisdom. 

'  I,  Fortunatus,  think  so  too ;  but  it  is  Servien,  and 
not  I,  who  may  find  out  the  truth  of  it  most  speedily, 

*  One  thing  these  Jews  proved  to  me  by  their  lives, 
that  work  of  the  limbs  and  work  of  the  mind  go  well 
together,  as  Plato  has  taught  in  his  book,  the  "  Timaeus,"  ' 

To  the  refined  and  observant  Fortunatus, 
who  had  visited  every  part  of  the  Roman 
vsrorld,  these  Jewish  schools  are  in  fact  a 
model,  and  his  praises  of  them  are  as  warm  as 
they  are  cautious  and  discreet.  He  determines 
that,  if  life  be  spared  him,  he  will  master  these 
schools    and   their  mysteries.     What   is   the 


SCHOLAES   AHEAD  iJoo 

book  of  which  in  every  school  he  hears  so 
much  ?  He  questions  Servien,  who  knows  no 
more  of  it  than  the  mere  mechanical  facts  that 
seventy  or  seventy-two  Jews,  all  considered  as 
scholars  of  highest  rank,  are  at  work  upon  it 
under  the  chief,  Akiba  ;  and  that  to  the  thou- 
sands of  youths  in  the  schools  it  is  a  book  the 
treasuring  of  wliich  and  the  copying  of  which 
keeps  them  out  of  mischief  towards  Eome  and 
his  legion. 

Eortunatus  hears  the  words  of  Servien 
with  all  respect,  but  does  not  accept  them  as 
final. 

Fortunatus  has  been  a  student  of  the  stir- 
ring history  of  Babylon.  He  recalls  how  under 
a  Babylonish  captivity  the  Jews  ceased  to  be  a 
savage  and  learned  to  be  a  wise  and  cultured 
race,  yearning  still  for  home  yet  loving  their 
enlightened  captivity.  He  has  heard  that  when 
they  returned  from  their  captivity  and  re- 
entered into  possession  of  their  promised  land, 
they  were  not  the  Jews  of  old,  but  that  their 
mind  was  set  on  a  new  reading,  interpretation, 
and  preservation  of  their  ancient  and  sacred 
records.  And  now,  with  their  new  order  of 
thought,  he  discovers  them  re-editing,  so  to 


254  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

speak,  the  book  of  the  Word,  the  Book  of  the 
world,  the  book  of  Truth. 

Would  that  he,  a  born  son  of  nature,  a 
philosopher,  could  join  in  the  labour. 

Servien  is  much  amused  at  his  absorption 
in  such  nonsense. 

'  Ah,  my  Servien,  keep  thou  these  Jews  in 
their  place  under  Csesar,  watch  them  with  an 
aye  as  vigilant  as  that  of  an  eagle  waiting  for  its 
prey,  for  they,  from  their  earliest  times,  have 
been  taught  of  the  serpent,  and  creep  noise- 
lessly at  your  feet  until  they  grip  you.  They 
have  the  art  of  charming  you  by  their  gentle- 
ness and  beating  you  by  their  subtlety.  Be  ever 
on  thy  guard,  but  say  not  one  word  against 
their  sacred  writings  and  treasures  of  wisdom, 
for  in  them  is  the  secret  of  everlasting  know- 
ledge and  wisdom.' 

'  My  wife,  whom  I  have  named  Lucilla,' 
muses  Servien, '  says  these  same  sayings,  which 
is  not  strange,  seeing  that  she  is  born  of  this 
people.  But  that  a  learned  Eoman  should 
repeat  her  words  is,  like  the  very  books  of 
these  Jews,  a  mystery.  I  care  not  to  fathom  it. 
If  the  worst  come  to  the  worst,  I  will  make 
short  work  of  it.     I  will  burn  every  rag  of  a 


SCHOLARS   AHEAD  255 

book  that  Csesar  may  reign,  Lucilla  and  For- 
tunatus  notwithstanding.' 

With  curious  insight  Fortunatus  reads  the 
mind  of  his  honest  and  resolute  friend. 

'  Thou  thinkest,  Servien,  if  the  books  of 
these  Jews  led  to  revolt  what  a  fire  they  would 
make  at  thy  bidding  ?  ' 

'My  very  thoughts.' 

'  Thou  art  bold,  Servien,  but  this  were 
beyond  thy  power.  Amidst  thunders  and  light- 
nings which  our  Jove  himself  could  not  raise, 
the  first  of  those  books  came  to  these  Jews. 
Their  God  spoke  to  them  His  own  command- 
ments. I  know  the  story,  and  the  name  of  the 
Jew  who  wrote  the  words  on  tablets  of  stone. 
What  one  of  the  masters  pronounced  in  the  first 
school  I  understood,  and  why  the  scholars  bent 
so  low  when  he  added  : 

' "  Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments." 
"  And  do  not  unto  another  what  thou  wouldst 
not  have  another  do  to  thee." 

'Those  are  open  sayings,  old  and  true, 
which  their  sages  have  taught,  but  they  have 
others  more  secret,  and  that  have  most  to  do 
with  thee.  Jerusalem,  they  say,  was  won  by 
Vespasian  because  the  young  were  not  taught. 


250  THE   SON   OP  A   STAR 

The  world  is  saved  by  the  breath  of  the  }■  oung. 
These  are  the  lessons  of  the  schools  we  have 
visited,  and  though  thou  burn  all  their  books, 
my  noble  Roman,  they  will  rise  again.' 

And  thus  in  friendly  controversy  the  two 
sworn  friends,  so  different  in  nature,  the  one 
root  and  branch  a  soldier,  the  other  root  and 
branch  a  scholar,  spent  their  day,  surveying 
Joppa,  its  schools,  its  forts,  its  streets,  its 
bazaars,  its  quays,  its  ships,  its  peoples  of 
Greeks,  Romans,  Jews,  Egyptians,  Tyrians. 

All  the  world  of  Joppa  and  its  inevitable 
wife. 

Leaving  them  so  occupied,  let  us,  by  a 
return  flight  to  Britain,  re-seek  our  heroes 
there,  and  firstly  him  who,  to  please  a  Roman 
mob,  ran  for  his  life  as  a  pillar  of  fire,  and  was 
saved  from  the  burning. 


257 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN     HAPPY    FLIGHT. 

Simeon  and  his  two  friends,  the  handsome 
chieftain  and  his  lovely  child,  made  quick  foot- 
steps over  another  ascent,  which  leads  them 
still  farther  from  the  Eoman  camp  ;  and  here 
the  wise  guide  once  more  takes  counsel  of 
himself. 

Some  wild  and  cruel  rolhckers  from  the 
camp  may  follow  us,  he  argues,  or  even  a 
number  of  armed  men  may  follow  us,  and 
seizing  us  take  us  back  into  the  furious  claws 
of  the  enemy  from  which  we  have  escaped  ! 

To  Simeon  these  apprehensions  are  as  so 
much  idle  wind.  He  has  retained  beneath 
the  sackcloth  in  which  he  had  been  enveloped 
his  trusty  sword  or  falchion,  and  woe  to  a 
dozen  rolhckers  or  others  who  come  beneath 
its  swing.     Moreover,  he    who    has    already 

VOL.  I.  s 


258  THE   SON    OP   A   STAR 

escaped  such  great  dangers  will  escape  all. 
Sucli  is  his  destiny. 

The  Philosopher  listens  and  marvels ;  but 
learning  soon,  with  practised  skill,  the  mind 
and  character  of  this  singular  youth  he  pro- 
ceeds to  influence  him  in  the  only  way  in 
which  he  is  open  to  reason. 

It  is  a  circumstance  as  curious  as  it  is 
natural  both  to  him  and  to  his  child,  whom 
he  calls  by  the  name  of  Erine  Leoline,  that 
this  youth  whom  they  have  so  far  saved  is 
now  dedicated  to  their  solemn  charge.  It  is 
a  feelins:  which  all  who  have  once  befriended 
him  feel  ever  afterwards.    That  also  is  his  fate. 

His  new  mentor  quickly  reading  his  cha- 
racter, proceeds  to  act  upon  him  rapidly  and 
effectively ;  and  soon  the  stubborn  nature  is 
subdued  by  so  wise  and  gentle  a  counsellor. 

'Thou  art  here,  good  Simeon,'  he  answers, 
'  for  such  thou  tellest  me  is  thy  name  ;  thou  art 
here  and  the  Mighty  One  Mhom  thou  servest 
has  need  of  thee ;  but  wisdom  must  temper 
courage,  and  what  fate  thinkest  thou  will 
befall  thine  unhappy  friends  should  Eoman 
hands  fall  upon  us  ?  Thou  mayest  be  under 
divine   protection,    we    are   certainly   not   so 


IN    HAPPY   FLIGHT  259 

favoured.  Thinkest  thou  this  child  of  mine, 
so  frail,  so  fair,  will  escape  their  penalties  and 
their  pleasure  ? ' 

The  words  are  enough. 

'  The  God  of  my  fathers  hath  given  me 
over  to  thy  safe  keeping,'  was  his  reply : 
'  henceforth  thou  shalt  do  with  me  as  thou 
desirest.  I  will  call  thee  Leon,  and  will  obey 
thee  as  if  I  were  another  child  of  thine.' 

'  Thou  art  wise,  my  son,  as  tliou  art  bold. 
They  Avho  sought  thy  life  do  not  mean  thee 
to  escape.  They  wait  only  to  drink  wine  ere 
they  pursue  thee.  Thou  hast  refused  to  offer 
up  incense  to  their  king,  thou  art  an  arrow  in 
the  side  of  their  second  king  or  Governor,  and 
they  are  too  strong  even  for  thee  when  force 
alone  is  master.  We,  tlierefore,  will  try  the 
wisdom  thou  dost  not  despise.' 

They  are  now  on  a  plain,  proceeding  as 
swiftly  as  their  feet  can  carry  them,  one  on  each 
side  of  him  whom  we  with  Simeon  shall  hence- 
forth call  Leon.  So  led  they  proceed  towards 
the  west  guided  by  the  reading  of  the  stars, 
until  they  come  to  a  deserted  native  hut  of 
rather  considerable  size,  witli  other  smaller 
huts,  equally  deserted,  clustered  near  to  it. 

s  2 


260  THE   SON    OF    A   STAR 

It  is  a  hut  made  of  earth  and  poles  and  straw. 
Into  the  earth  a  large  scoop  or  opening  has 
once  been  cut ;  the  earth  has  been  thrown  up 
on  all  sides,  except  the  southern  side,  facing 
the  sun,  to  form  a  wall  or  bank ;  into  the 
bank  poles  have  been  planted  so  as  to  meet 
in  a  point  at  the  centre ;  around  these  poles 
stubble  or  tliatch  has  been  attached  to  make 
a  roof;  within  the  hut  at  the  farthest  ex- 
tremity from  the  sloping  southern  entrance  a 
hearthstone  has  been  erected,  and  therewith 
the  home  of  the  native  Briton  has  been  made 
complete. 

The  combination  of  huts  formed  once  a 
native  village.  It  was  the  seat  of  a  chief,  and 
was  surrounded  altogether  by  an  enbankment 

of  earth. 

Some  years  ago  it  was  the  scene  of  a  great 
fio-lit;  the  Roman  soldiers  on  their  march 
through  the  country  westward  came  upon  it, 
met  with  a  resistance  altogether  unexpected, 
and  in  revenge,  when  they  became  victors, 
slew  every  man,  woman,  and  child  of  the  place, 
leaving  the  dead  to  bury  the  dead. 

In  that  village  of  desolation  no  one  ever 
afterwards  dwells. 


IN   HAPPY   FLIGHT  261 

It  is  a  haunted  desolation.  Eoman  and 
Briton  alike  view  it,  from  tlie  distance,  with 
equal  superstition  and  fear. 

Fortunately  it  has  not  escaped  the  notice 
of  the  observant  Leon.  lie  passed  it  but  a 
day  or  two  ago,  went  into  it  alone  ;  read  in  the 
remains  he  found  there  its  history,  and  now 
again  approaches  it  as  a  trap  laid  for  his  pur- 
suers should  they  follow  in  his  wake. 

Nature  has  been  more  bountiful  than  man 
to  this  unfortunate  nest  of  death  ;  she  has 
wept  over  it  with  her  genial  showers,  and  her 
wild  briars  and  dog  roses  have  covered  it  in 
so  as  finally  to  bury  it  in  beauty.  Here  the 
birds  build  their  nests,  and  here  the  dead  leaves 
of  the  plain,  wafted  to  the  spot,  cover  up  the 
skeletons  of  the  slaughtered  men,  women,  and 
babes. 

Leon  has  surveyed  the  place,  and  has 
gratefully  thanked  the  supreme  power  he 
worships  that  no  such  nest  of  desolation 
could  be  found  in  all  his  own  peaceful  land. 

He  brings  his  companions  to  a  rest  here 
while  he  explains  to  them  his  design. 

Breaking  through  the  long  grass  which 
obstructs  the  entrance  to  the  chief  hut,  and 


2G2  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

lighting  his  way  with  a  luminous  point  which 
he  has  struck  from  a  kind  of  rod  carried  in 
a  wallet,  by  his  side  he  comes  upon  what  he 
expected,  the  bones  of  one  of  the  victims  of 
the  fray.  There  are  few  of  them,  for  wild 
beasts  have  carried  many  away,  but  what 
remain  are  sufficient  for  his  purpose. 

With  quick  and  precise  skill  he  spreads 
out  quickly  at  the  entrance  of  the  hut  a  bed 
of  leaves,  loose  wood,  and  thatch  torn  from  the 
slanting  and  decaying  roof;  and,  on  this  bed 
he  lays  the  bones  in  natural  order,  as  if  a  man 
making  for  the  interior  of  the  hut  had  fallen 
down  headlong  at  the  entrance. 

Eeturning  now  to  Simeon  whom  he  has 
left  a  little  distance  off,  he  removes  from  his 
body  the  sackcloth  with  which  he  is  encased, 
places  that  in  naturally  fitting  parts  with  the 
bones,  and  taking  from  him  also  his  sword 
puts  that  on  the  bed  of  leaves  on  the  left  side 
of  the  remains  of  mortality. 

Next  he  throws  on  more  dry  wood, 
leaves  and  thatch,  and  having  quite  completed 
this  part  of  his  task,  he,  by  some  skilful 
method,  noiselessly  drives  his  pointed  rod  into 
a  flame  and  sets  the  heap  he  has  made  on  fire. 


IN   HAPPY   FLIGHT  263 

A  sandal  from  the  right  foot  of  Simeon  is 
finally  made  to  burn  until  it  is  well  scorched, 
is  extinguished  when  half  burnt  away,  and  is 
laic  a  few  yards  in  front  of  the  blazing  pyre, 
which  they  quickly  leave  behind  them,  to 
pursue  a  course  westward  but  bearing  a  little 
to  the  north. 

The  fire,  extending  from  the  bed  of  leaves 
aadwood  and  thatch  to  the  chief  hut,  is  carried 
to  the  other  huts,  and  sets  the  whole  of  the 
mined  encampment  into  a  magnificent  blaze, 
visible  for  miles  around. 

The  device  is  none  too  speedily  executed ; 
for  the  fugitives  have  but  just  sufficient  time  to 
reach  a  little  wood,  in  which  they  lie  concealed 
from  the  light  shed  by  the  fire,  ere  the  Eoman 
cavalry  who  left  the  encampment  at  the  close 
of  the  revelry  are  at  hand.  The  clatter  of  the 
hoofs  of  their  horses  is  heard  distinctly,  as  they 
are  making  for  the  fire. 

The  fugitives  have  not  been  seen  by  the 
pursuers,  for  the  attention  of  every  soldier  has 
been  fixed  on  the  burning  village. 

But  we,  who  have  better  eyes,  are  privi- 
leged to  see  an  earlier  messenger,  on  foot,  who 
has  witnessed  every  movement,  every  device, 


/ 


264  THE   SON   OF  A   STAR 

and  who  lies  on  the  ground  between  thp 
]mrsued  and  tlie  burning  vilhige  concealed 
])erfectly  himself  and  yet  discerning  all  tli^at 
transpires.  /• 

He  is  light  of  heart,  for  he  has  learred 
what  none  but  one  must  know.  His  divine 
mistress,  who  has  cast  out  from  him  the  evil 
one,  who  has  given  him  life,  honour,  duty,  shp 
alone  must  know.    It  is  his  lirst  service  for  het 

The  troops  approach  and  gallop  round 
the  fire  ;  first  at  a  distance  from  it,  for  theil 
horses,  unaccustomed  to  so  strange  a  sights 
must  be  taught,  gently,  to  draw  near.  In  time 
they  form  a  cordon  around,  from  which  not 
even  a  fox  could  escape  without  notice.  \ 

For  indeed  a  fox,  leaving  her  litter  that 
she  may  survey  the  chances  of  escape,  is  per- 
ceived, is  hooted  back  to  the  lair  of  her  loves, 
and  dies  with  them. 

The  ring  of  soldiery  completed,  the  leader 
of  the  party  with  some  of  lesser  degree  dis- 
mount, and  leaving  their  horses  in  charge  of 
their  men  approach  towards  the  chief  entrance 
of  the  burning  place.  They  pick  up  some- 
thing that  arrests  their  keen  attention.  They 
examine  it  together  with  nodding  mystery. 


m  HAPPY   FLIGHT  265 

A  half-burnt  sandal :  tlie  very  sandal  the 
Jew  Tvore  in  the  arena. 

He  ran  until  tlie  fire  caught  his  foot  and 
then  he  fell.  They  will  now  find  his  remains. 
The  fire  is  becoming  much  subdued.  They 
lash  together  two  javelins,  and  rake  the  fire  at 
the  entrance  until  they  spread  out  what  is  left 
of  the  bed  which  Leon  had  constructed.  They 
strike  some  solid  thing  and  pull  it  out.  It 
is  a  skull,  black  and  burned  into  holes,  but  a 
skull.  They  strike  more  solid  things,  bones  ! 
bones !  bones !  They  strike  something  that 
sounds  on  the  iron  head  of  the  javelin  like 
iron  itself  Iron  strikes  iron.  They  drag  out 
by  the  hook  attached  to  the  javehn  that  which 
is  struck  :  it  is  a  short  sword,  red-hot.  Let  it 
cool  in  the  open  air,  until  some  one  can  touch 
it. 

They  are  so  impatient  they  would  almost 
run  the  risk  of  burning  their  fingers  in  order 
to  examine  it.  At  last  the  captain  of  the 
troop  ventures  to  hft  it.  They  light  him  with 
a  torch  brought  from  the  fire. 

It  is  unquestionably  the  sword  of  the  Jew 
Simeon.  One  of  them  knows  it,  for  he  has  held 
it  often  in  his  hand,  and  it  has  the  peculiarity 


266  THE  SON  OF  a  star 

that  its  handle  is  made  of  ebony.  A  portion 
of  this  handle  is  undestroyed  and  is  ebony. 

What  can  be  clearer  ? 

One  thing  more  completes  the  find.  The 
soldier  with  the  javelin  has  dragged  out  a  piece 
of  sackcloth  which  is  rotten  with  the  fire  and 
yet  not  consumed.  It  is  a  part  of  the  sack- 
cloth steeped  in  bitumen  in  which  Simeon 
was  enveloped  before  he  ran  as  the  living 
torch  for  the  amusement  of  the  people. 

The  chain  of  evidence  is  perfect.  The 
living  torch  ran  blindly  into  the  plain  until 
he  accidentally  caught  sight  of  what,  in  the 
gloom,  seemed  to  him  a  native  village,  where 
he  might  find  succour.  Before  he  reached 
the  entrance  the  fire  burned  off  his  sandal, 
and  so  injured  his  foot  that  he  fell  at  the  gate 
of  the  place,  fell  there  a  blazing  heap,  and 
setting  fire  to  the  nest  of  desolation  perished 
with  it. 

To-morrow,  by  daylight,  more  remains  may 
be  found ;  there  is  sufficient  evidence  for  this 
time.  They  may  return  to  the  camp.  They 
fix  the  skull  on  the  head  of  the  javelin  that 
has  been  in  the  fire.  They  tie  the  long  bones 
round  the  shaft  of  it.     They  tie  together  the 


IN    HAPPY   FLIGHT  267 

short  sword,  the  sandal  and  the  sackcloth,  and 
give  over  all  these  relics  to  a  centurion  for 
safe  keeping. 

The  trumpet  gives  the  note  to  resume 
marching  order,  and  the  order  is  obeyed  like  a 
natural  law.  The  officers  remount ;  the  chief 
and  his  staff  drop  into  their  places  in  the  rear, 
and  gaily  discussing  the  details  of  their  expe- 
dition follow  their  men  back  into  the  en- 
campment, just  as  the  first  light  of  day  is 
exposing  the  departed  glories  of  the  night  of 
revelry. 

The  pursuit  over,  the  fugitives,  resting 
awhile,  prepare  to  continue  their  journey. 
Simeon  is  girt  with  new  sandals,  taken  by 
the  careful  Leon  from  his  never-failing  wallet, 
which  yields  also  food  of  a  kind  Simeon  has 
never  tasted  before,  and  which  gives  him  new 
strength.  Water  they  find  in  a  rivulet  they 
have  to  cross,  and  full  of  energy  they  travel 
on.  Leon  leads,  with  the  hand  of  Erine  in  his, 
and  Simeon  travels  by  their  side. 

With  the  first  appearance  of  the  glorious 
sun  Leon  and  his  child  offer  up  their  devotions 
to  the  mighty  Power  who  refills  the  world  with 
life. 


*2G8  THE   SON    OF   A   ST^VR 

Simeon  also  in  his  way  adores  tlie  God  of 
his  fathers. 

As  Leon  and  Erine  return  to  him  in  the 
light  of  the  sun,  which  now,  just  above  the 
horizon,  forms  a  background  to  their  forms, 
they  seem  to  liim  still  like  two  celestial  beings. 
His  sight  is  dazed,  and  he  would  fall  on  his  face 
before  them  did  they  not  each  take  his  hands, 
Leon  his  right,  Erine  his  left  hand,  and  hft  him 
from  the  ground. 

Surely,  he  thinks,  they  have  come  out  of 
the  sun  and  their  voices  are  voices  of  angels. 

They  are  indeed  sent  for  his  deliverance. 

They  wander  on  in  the  early  dawn  until 
they  reach  a  deep  and  long  valley  which, 
filled  with  mist  painted  by  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  looks  to  them  as  a  sea  of  molten  gold.  Out 
of  this  sea  the  tops  of  the  trees  stand  like  ships 
on  the  ocean  to  which  the  niovini?  mist  gives 
the  appearance  of  motion.  The  trees  bend  in 
graceful  action  to  the  wind,  and  appear  to  sail 
along  in  a  current  swift  and  glorious. 

To  Simeon  and  Erine  the  idea  that  they 
have  reached  the  shores  of  a  golden  ocean  is 
too  delightful  to  be  repressed.  They  run  along 
the  ridge  of  the  hill  on  which  they  are  placed. 


IN   HAPPY   FLIGHT  269 

Tliey  take  each  other's  hand  Hke  children 
as  they  are,  and  return  to  Leon,  their  faces 
briglit  as  the  scene  around  them. 

'  Oh,  father  mine  ! '  cries  Erine,  '  is  this  the 
sea  where  our  faithful  crew  will  meet  us  ? 
surely  it  will  carry  us  to  realms  of  heaven.' 

'  Or  to  the  city  of  Zion,'  exclaimed  Simeon, 
'  whence  my  people  came  whom  I  am  to 
restore.' 

'  Sit  down,  my  children,  sit  down  and  let 
me  tell  you  the  truth.  This  sea  is  a  mirage, 
the  sun  god  on  high  playing  with  the  sons  of 
men.  See  you  not  that  the  sea  sinks,  that  yon 
sailing  object,  as  it  seems  to  us,  moves  more 
slowly,  grows  taller,  becomes  what  it  is,  a 
tree.  The  sea  sinks,  no,  the  vapour  rises  and 
the  winds  clear  it  away.  The  bed  of  the  sea 
becomes  a  valley,  a  valley  full  of  trees,  and 
meadows,  and  flowers  and  sward. 

'  Now  there  is  no  more  sea.' 

And  while  he  speaks  what  was  a  golden 
ocean  a  few  minutes  before,  full  of  life  and 
motion,  is  a  quiet  valley  filled  with  light  alone. 

For  a  moment  the  hearts  of  the  young 
people  are  cast  down,  but  soon  their  longing 
vision   is   cheered  with    a  new  and    equally 


270  THE    SON   OP   A    STAR 

beautiful  sight.  The  valley  seems  to  expand, 
to  open  at  its  farther  extremity,  and  to  allow 
mountains  far  away  to  show  their  blue  crests 
like  pinnacles  piercing  the  skies  from  which 
their  colours  are  derived. 

Soon  also  in  the  distance  tliey  catch  sight 
of  another  new  object,  a  river  which  beyond 
the  gorge  of  the  valley,  on  its  western  side, 
winds  its  way  like  a  vein  of  pure  silver  let 
into  the  earth.  Upon  this  streak  of  silver  Leon, 
by  some  process  unknown  to  Simeon,  takes  his 
observations.  With  steady  and  precise  care  he 
measures  the  intervening  space ;  from  a  dial 
with  a  moving  hand,  he  determines  the  direc- 
tion in  which  he  wishes  to  move  ;  and,  fully 
prepared  for  tlie  journey  he  has  in  view,  he 
once  more  leads  them  on. 

It  is  a  day  of  rapture,  a  day  in  which  by 
that  youth  and  maiden,  a  life  of  life  is  lived. 

The  noble  Leon  leads  them  towards  some 
place  he  has  definitely  in  view :  but  gentle 
Erine  Leoline,  lioness  with  a  woman's  heart, 
whither  leadest  thou  the  son  of  destiny  ? 

They  traverse  the  ridge  of  tlie  valley 
towards  the  west,  and  in  a  short  time  ap- 
proach a  forest,  above  which  on  one  side  is  a 


IN   HAPPY   PLIGHT  271 

rising  ground  overlooking  the  forest  itself  and 
all  around  it. 

Ascending  this  height  Leon  proceeds  to 
wield  another  power.  By  the  movement  of  a 
bright  metallic  plate  he  casts  a  sign  or  beacon 
towards  the  distant  river,  but  now  broader  and 
better  defined.  In  return  there  falls  upon  him- 
self Hashes  of  light  like  rays  of  the  sun,  which 
communicate  by  some  hidden  language  a  reply 
to  what  he  has  asked  to  know. 

At  length  to  Erine,  who  stands  by  accus- 
tomed to  watch  the  proceeding  and  prepared 
for  a  message,  he  tells  what  he  has  learned. 

'  Our  faithful  servants  and  the  caravel  lie 
safely  concealed  at  the  point  where  yon  silver 
stream  bends  to  the  north-west.  We  are  four 
leagues  away,  and  betAveen  us  and  them  in  a 
straight  line  there  are  two  Eoman  encamp- 
ments. We  must  take  to  the  woods,  and  by  a 
two  days'  circuit  we  shall  reach  our  destina- 
tion unperceived.  I  have  signalled  that  in  two 
sunsets  we  shall  be  with  them,  and  they  are 
content.' 

Descending  from  their  height  they  enter 
by  a  ravine  into  a  splendid  forest,  which  they 
traverse   with   a   new    pleasure.     Now   they 


272  THE   SON   OP   A   STAR 

wander  througli  labyrinths  of  darkness  ;  tlien 
tliey  enter  into  a  glade  in  which  a  natural 
temple  is  produced  before  tliem.  Tliey  cross 
it  reverently,  in  a  gloom  almost  as  profound 
as  night  itself ;  but  Leon  has  a  light  to  help 
them  and  bids  them  not  to  fear.  He  goes 
before,  and  Simeon  and  Erine,  hand  in  hand, 
follow,  and  are  afraid. 

Afraid,  not  of  the  gloom  of  the  glade  but 
of  the  coming  time  when  their  hands,  so  firmly 
and  innocently  clasped,  must  part  sweet  com- 
pany. 

They  listen  to  a  sound,  the  soft  tinkling 
of  a  bell  or  a  chime.  They  step  forward  more 
carefully  and  softly  as  through  the  trees  the 
rays  of  light  are  glinting  faintly.  The  light 
increases  in  fulness,  and  suddenly  they  enter 
a  natural  citadel  as  it  seems  to  them,  a  citadel 
cut  out  of  the  midst  of  the  forest,  but,  except 
for  the  musical  sounds,  quiet  as  a  sepulclire. 

Into  this  place  of  dazzling  splendour  the 
sun  beams  v/ith  all  his  might ;  before  them, 
at  a  distance  of  some  hundred  feet,  is  a  moun- 
tain of  stone  like  a  mound,  witli  a  fountain 
at  its  top  and  a  pool  surrounding  it  at  its 
base.     From  the  fountain  water  falls  in  riplets 


IN   HAPPY   FLIGHT  273 

into  the  pool  below,  and  the  resonant  pile 
gives  out  the  sound  like  a  chime  of  melodious 
bells.  They  ascend  a  rock  on  the  side  of  this 
natural  tower,  and  see,  in  full,  the  beauty  of 
the  spot.  Leon  explains  that  the  central 
mound  of  stone  from  which  the  water  runs 
over  was  once  the  mouth  of  a  volcano,  by 
which  all  this  place  was  originally  cleft.  The 
mouth  of  the  crater  has  long  been  closed  at  its 
lower  part,  and  a  spring  of  water  derived  from 
the  higher  surrounding  rocks  has  found  its 
way  by  a  subterranean  channel  into  the  open 
basin,  whence,  at  times,  the  water  flows  over 
into  the  little  moat  below,  from  which  it  finds 
a  passage  into  the  earth  again.  That  little 
accident  keeps,  he  says,  this  otherwise  dead 
spot  of  earth  ahve.  The  water  falls  over,  cast- 
ing up  spray,  the  sun  converts  the  spray  into 
vapour,  the  vapour  descends  in  mist  and  dew 
when  the  sun  goes  to  rest,  and  so  seeds  and 
trees  and  mosses  and  shrubs  find  their  nourish- 
ment and  thrive  luxuriantly. 

The  foxgloves  specially,  with  their  exqui- 
site forms  and  colours  and  drooping  bells, 
please  the  young  pair. 

'  Admire  but  touch  not,  my  children ;   in 

VOL.  I.  T 


274  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

that  plant  lies  concealed  what  would  kill  all 
your  admiration.  The  learned  Greeks  have 
called  it  the  j^lant  which  kills  the  heart.' 

Around  this  volcanic  pit  or  basin  of  rocks 
shrubs,  ferns,  and  trees  grow,  leaving  between 
them  and  the  central  mound  a  walk  of  white 
smooth  stone,  like  marble,  from  which  running 
into  the  side  of  the  rocks  are  caves  of  great 
depth  and  varied  shape.  Birds  nestle  and 
sing  in  the  shrubs,  and  now  and  then  a  startled 
rabbit  rushes  forth,  and  sitting  on  the  top 
of  a  rock  looks  round  in  wonder  that  his 
quiet  home  should  be  molested.  But  there 
is  no  sign  of  any  wild  or  dangerous  animal. 

They  enter  a  cave  which  faces  the  sun  in 
his  glory,  breaking  before  them  the  shrubs  and 
briars  which  obstruct  the  entrance. 

The  cave  is  cut  and  arched  as  if  it  had 
been  the  work  of  the  most  skilled  architect. 
It  is  grooved  within  into  a  kind  of  horizontal 
spiral,  from  which  cliambers  jut  out  at  grace- 
ful angles.  The  first  of  these  chambers  and 
the  largest  is  so  near  the  chief  entrance  it  is 
lighted  to  the  highest  point  of  a  roof  whicli 
seems  to  be  made  up  of  the  bodies  of  animals 
in  petrified  forms,  extant  and  motionless  for 


IN   HAPPY   FLIGHT  275 

ages.  Its  floor  is  of  the  same  wliite  veined 
stone  as  that  of  the  pathway  outside.  In  the 
convulsion  of  nature  which  made  all  the  place 
that  floor  and  path  were  once  a  molten  lime 
which  cooled  into  level  solidity  and  now  lies 
frozen  eternally.  With  these  natural  wonders 
Leon  is  transported,  but,  seeing  how  wearied 
his  companions  are,  he  prepares  for  their  re- 
freshment and  repose.  What  he  does  Simeon 
watches  with  liveliest  interest,  but  no  longer 
with  wonder.  His  mind  is  at  ease.  This  man, 
this  girl,  are  his  ministering  angels.  If  they 
turn  the  very  stones  into  bread  it  will  be 
no  marvel  to  him  now  ;  the  thing  would  be 
done  for  him  in  pursuance  of  the  decrees  which 
have  sent  him  forth. 

Stones  are  not  turned  into  bread,  but 
food  is  soon  prepared.  They  traverse  the 
paths  of  the  rocks,  and  from  certain  of  the 
plants  which  Leon  points  out  they  pluck 
the  fruit.  They  gather  from  the  earth  some 
sweet  smellinix  herbs  which  he  recognises  as 
edible ;  they  turn  a  large  hollow  shell  like 
a  piece  of  rock  into  a  pitcher  which  they  fill 
with  water  from  the  falling  streamlets  in  the 
central   pile ;  and,    so  enriched,  they   return 

T  2 


270  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

to  the  cave,  where  Erine  soon  lays  out  the 
choicest  repast  tlie  enthusiastic  Simeon  has, 
he  thinks,  ever  seen ;  a  repast  to  which  Leon, 
from  his  matchless  wallet,  adds  cakes  for  food, 
and  silver  cups  for  holding  the  water  that 
quenches  their  thirst. 

On  the  floor  of  the  cave  Simeon  and  his 
leader  make  seats   out  of  the   loose   stones, 
covering    the   seats   with   the   mosses   which 
grow  so  luxuriantly  amongst  the  rocks  around. 
And  thus  prepared  they  break  their  long  fast. 
They  form    a  mystical   group.     In  each 
there  is  of  its  kind  a  surpassing  beauty.    Erine, 
sitting  a  Uttle  raised  between  the  two  men,  is 
peerless.     Never  before  has  Simeon  seen  such 
loveliness  ;  eyes,  pure  and  blue  as  the  sky,  into 
which  the  rapt  observer  sinks  as  into  an  azure 
sea ;  a  face  fair  of  the  fairest,  and  faultless  in 
its  outhne  ;  lips  and  mouth,  and  expression  of 
gentlest  hohest  love  ;  and  all  set  in  a  frame- 
work of  golden  hair  which,  falhng   hke  an 
avalanche  over  shoulders  of  ivory,  is,  in  its 
very  disorder,  natural  and  comely.    Her  dress 
of   white,   lightly   open    at    the    throat     and 
bosom,  clothes  her  from  the  shoulders  to  the 
feet,  and  her  green  scarf,  passed  under  her 


m   HAPPY   FLIGHT  277 

avalanche  of  golden  tresses,  covers  also  her 
shoulders,  and  faUing  richly  and  loosely  over 
her  knees  makes  her  look  like  a  plant  of 
heaven  rising  from  the  earth  in  all  its  youth, 
its  gracefulness  and  strength. 

Her  companions  on  either  side  of  her  are 
little  less  remarkable  than  herself.  She  sits 
between  tlie  pillars  of  wisdom  and  strength. 

Simeon  is  buoyant  in  spite  of  all  he  has 
gone  through.  He  wears  still  the  dress  in 
which  he  appeared  in  the  arena,  except  that 
his  feet  are  clad  in  the  new  and  strong  sandals 
which  his  host  has  lent  to  him,  and  his  head 
is  covered  with  a  leathern  cap  or  berretta,  the 
most  elegant  head-dress  ever  worn  by  the 
male  part  of  mankind.  It  is  a  dress  alto- 
gether— excepting  for  the  new  sandals — which 
he  has  designed  for  his  sword  and  athletic 
practice,  but  it  suits  him  as  gracefully  for 
peace  as  for  combat. 

His  face  is  the  face  of  Spain  and  of  Judah  ; 
a  perfect  mould  of  symmetrical  cast.  The 
forehead  rather  narrow  and  retreating,  with 
dark  hair  above  ;  the  eyebrows  arched,  the 
eyes  deep  hazel,  full,  luminous,  and  wonder- 
ing ;  the  nose  is  aquiline,  the  nostrils  slightly 


278  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

expanded  ;  the  lips  and  cheeks  well  filled, 
and  firm  set  with  command  of  tlie  most 
winning  smile  ;  the  chin  just  prominent  with 
a  rather  deep  but  well-formed  cleft  betwixt 
it  and  the  lower  lip  ;  the  complexion  a  pale 
olive  ;  the  expression  serene  to  the  maximum 
of  serenity.  The  limbs  are  models  of  strength 
and  freedom ;  and  the  whole  frame  a  living 
engine  of  trained  athletic  skill. 

Leon  looking  at  the  youth,  from  time  to 
time,  sums  him  up  slowly  and  calmly  as  a 
new  artistic  study  in  the  domain  of  life,  while 
Simeon  in  turn  watches,  with  keenest  observa- 
tion, the  man  whose  voice  he  has  heard,  whose 
hand  he  has  clasped,  whose  outline  he  has 
seen,  and  whose  protection  he  has  experienced, 
but  whose  face  and  manner  are  new  to  him  in 
the  light  of  day. 

The  protector  is  indeed  not  one  for  Simeon 
merely  to  see  and  therewith  be  content.  He 
is  a  man  who,  once  spoken  with,  is  at  once 
recognised  as  remarkable  above  other  men. 
His  wide  and  accurate  knowledge  and  his  art 
of  research  into  hidden  things  account,  in  a 
large  degree,  for  this  fact ;  but  his  appearance 
adds  to  the  effect.     Simeon  instinctively  recog- 


IX   HAPPY   FLIGHT  279 

nises  both  influences.  He  sees  a  man  much 
older,  but  as  strong,  he  beheves,  as  hmiself,  a 
man  reall)^  not  youthful  to  the  eye  yet  bear- 
ing no  trace  of  age.  Like  the  child  he  owns, 
the  man  is  of  fair  complexion,  of  a  sanguine 
tint  which  tells  both  of  activity  and  power. 
By  one  of  those  happy  racial  admixtures 
which  make  up  the  varieties  of  the  flowering 
garden  of  humanity,  his  hair  is  an  iron  grey, 
while  his  eyes  are  of  the  same  deej)  blue  as 
those  of  his  child,  and  equally  absorptive. 
His  head  is  a  dome  of  perfect  symmetry  and 
balance  ;  the  eyebrows  are  lengthened  with 
the  large  capacious  brow  ;  the  expression  of 
countenance  is  that  of  dignity,  knowledge, 
and  wisdom.  He  is  also  strong  of  body  and 
graceful,  but  deliberate  of  movement ;  his 
speech  is  winning,  hopeful  and  trustful.  Above 
all,  there  is  in  his  voice  the  charm  that  makes 
him  a  charmer  of  men ;  it  is  a  voice  of  music 
rich  in  cadences,  and  so  sweet  to  hear  that 
when  it  ceases  the  listeners  wait  as  if  something 
they  still  wished  to  hear  had  yet  to  come. 
But  for  this  delicious  melody  of  speech  it  might 
be  felt  that  from  his  richness  of  knowledge 
he   spoke  too    frequently  and    too   long.     A 


2 so  THE    SON    OF    A    STAR 

liarsh  voice  would  make  liira  a  pain ;  a  hesitant 
speech  would  make  him  a  bore,  from  whom  all 
would  flee  ;  but  the  sweetness  of  his  tune  and 
tlie  firmness  of  his  tone,  varied  with  natural 
art  to  suit  the  subject  on  which  he  descants, 
removes  all  weariness  of  mind  or  fear  of 
failure,  and  holds  every  one  captive  who  comes 
under  its  fascinating  spell. 

The  three  form  a  picture  it  is  hard  to 
leave.  Suffice  it  to  record  at  this  moment 
that  they  converse  with  facility  in  the  Latin 
tongue,  and  that  their  discourse  is  as  cheerful 
as  it  is  fluent  and  friendly  ;  after  which  they 
take  their  morning  rest. 

Into  one  of  the  side  recesses  of  the  inner 
cave  already  described,  Leon  out  of  soft  plants 
and  branches  of  trees  and  heaps  of  mosses  and 
Howers,  makes  a  bed  for  his  beloved  child.  He 
carries  her,  drooping  with  sleep,  in  his  arms  as 
when  she  was  a  motherless  infant  to  whom  all 
his  life  was  to  be  devoted,  and  lays  her,  unre- 
sisting, on  the  improvised  couch.  He  smooths 
lier  tresses,  smooths  the  folds  of  her  dress, 
casts  over  her  his  own  mantle,  and  receiving 
from  her  lips  the  half-conscious  filial  kiss 
which  is  ever  the  last  act  of  her  wakeful  day, 
lie  watches  over  her  innocent  face,  innocent 


IN    HAPPY    FLIGHT  281 

and  lovely  as  the  choicest  flowers  near  to  her, 
till  she  sleeps  like  them.  He  sees  her  eyelids 
fall,  he  hears  her  breathing  almost  mute,  he 
returns  her  kiss  without  response  from  her, 
and  knowing  now  that  she  has  sunken  into  the 
oblivion  that  restores  to  life,  he  softly  and 
noiselessly  steals  from  her  side. 

He  starts,  as  he  regains  the  outer  court  of 
the  cave,  to  find  that  his  other  companion,  who 
but  a  minute  or  two  ago  was  so  full  of  vigor- 
ous life  and  action,  now  lies  in  equally  death- 
like oblivion.  In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  sleep  has  entrapped  the  valiant 
youth  whom  he  has  saved.  On  the  rocky 
mound  on  which  he  sits  Simeon  has  fallen 
back  into  a  kind  of  chair  or  couch  of  rock, 
in  an  attitude  so  peaceful  he  seems  a  sculp- 
tured figure  in  the  wall  of  the  cave,  left  by  a 
hand  divine  in  art.  He  has  unconsciously 
fallen  in  the  line  of  beauty,  and  sleep  has 
seated  him  firm  as  the  stones  on  which  he  re- 
poses. So  deep  is  the  oblivion  that  Leon, 
unable  to  detect  movements  of  his  chest,  holds 
over  his  nostrils  a  polished  plate  to  see  if 
moisture  from  the  breath  of  life  can  be  caught 
upon  it. 

Satisfied  that   the   sleep  which   revivifies 


282  THE  SOX  op  a  star 

is  the  sleep  alone  that  suspends  the  life  of  his 
protege^  he  gently  moves  back  the  luxuriant 
curls  from  off  the  handsome  face,  and  with  the 
skill  of  the  learned  student  of  physiognomy- 
reads  the  character  of  the  sleeper. 

It  is  a  complicated  reading.  Innocence 
blends  with  courage,  courage  with  a  resolution 
scarcely  mortal,  defying  men,  time,  and  death. 

The  dress  of  the  sleeper,  open  at  the  bosom, 
exposes  a  small  square  of  woven  substance 
suspended  by  a  band  of  silk  loosely  tied  round 
the  neck  ;  on  this  the  eye  of  Leon  falls. 

It  is  a  trifling  thing  this  little  square  of 
woven  substance,  and  yet  it  has  the  instant 
effect  of  filling  the  eyes  of  him  who  now  sur- 
veys it  with  a  flood  of  tears.  It  bears  in 
curious  characters  a  date  ;  it  bears  the  face  of 
a  beautiful  woman  ;  a  date,  a  face,  that  marks 
in  lines  of  grief  the  two  most  appalling  events 
of  his,  the  observer's,  career.  That  face  is 
like  the  face  of  his  dead  wife  ;  that  date  is  the 
date  of  the  day  when  she,  dying,  gave  birth 
to  a  boy  who  never  lived. 

Did  this  sleeping  youth  come  into  the  world 
ahve,  on  the  day  when  his  son,  his  only  son, 
came  into  the  world  dead  ? 


IN   HAPPY   FLIGHT  283 

With  gentle  hand  he  hfts  the  woven  square, 
to  turn  it  over  and  see  the  other  side.  As  the 
rehc  leaves  the  breast  of  the  sleeper,  he  starts 
from  head  to  foot,  as  if  his  soul  were  being 
torn  from  him ;  his  face  grows  deathly,  his 
hands  clench.  But  as  the  relic  overcast  falls 
back  on  the  surface  of  his  body,  he  also  falls 
back,  and  once  again  sleeps. 

A  thrill  of  wonder,  enthusiasm,  and  ad- 
miration passes  now  through  Leon  the  phi- 
losopher. 

The  obverse  of  the  woven  square  is 
marked  with  symbols  which  he  can  read. 

*The  son  of  an  illustrious  King  before 
whom  the  stars  fled,  and  of  Palestrina  of  the 
Temple,  sent  to  deliver  his  people  from  bondage 
and  tribulation.' 

The  signs  indicatincr  these  words  are 
enclosed  in  an  embroidered  square  repre- 
sentinij  the  earth.  On  the  eastern  side  of  this 
square  is  the  design  of  a  youth  with  a  star 
on  his  forehead,  bearing  aloft  a  torch  of  fire. 
At  the  upper  part  of  the  square  is  the  sun  in 
his  meridian  glory  ;  at  the  western  side  another 


284  THE   SON   OF   A   STAR 

youth  is  sitting,  with  his  head  downcast  and 
his  torch  extinguished  in  the  earth.  They  are 
symbols  of  one  who  is  to  rise  in  brightness,  at- 
tain meridian  glory,  sink  into  gloom,  and  leave 
the  world  still  in  its  darkness,  pain,  and  sorrow. 

No,  not  leave  it  so  hopeless  ;  for  see  at  the 
foot  of  the  square  there  is  the  moon  as  a  cradle 
borne  by  the  constellation  Leo  of  the  stars,  and 
in  that  cradle  the  youth  reclines.  The  hght 
of  the  moon  and  stars  is  faintly  reflected  by 
the  star  still  on  his  brow. 

He  is  not  dead  !  He  is  being  carried  away 
to  new  glories.  He  will  arise  again,  and  in 
some  newer  and  holier  form  reanimate  the 
world  that  mourns  his  absent  face. 

The  countenance  of  Leon  the  scholar  is 
transformed  with  wonder.  In  this  cave  he 
has  found,  as  the  prophetic  legend  declares 
shall  be  found,  the  child  of  the  sun  in  human 
form,  to  redeem  mankind.  The  incarnate 
Mithras  is  here.  The  lion  and  the  star  of 
that  country  in  the  East  from  which  his  own 
fathers  were  exiled  by  the  barbarians  of  the 
mountains  have  re-united.  He,  Leon  of  the 
west,  has  met  the  star  of  the  east.  His 
dead  son  hves  again,   as  his  dead  wife  hves 


IN   HAPPY    FLIGHT  285 

again  in  the  angelic  girl  sleeping  in  that  other 
cave. 

The  learned  books  of  his  people,  in  which 
he  is  the  most  learned,  have  foretold  the 
whole.     He  must  read  the  symbols  anew. 

There  is  no  error  in  the  reading.  In  this 
savage  Britain,  land  of  savages  and  of  Romans 
who  are  little  better,  this  youth,  a  few  hours 
agone  a  running  torch,  running  to  please  a 
murderous  crew,  is  now  revealed  to  him  as 
a  torch  for  lighting  humanity  to  its  farthest 
stretch  of  glory.  A  priestess  must  have 
formed  those  symbols,  written  them  in  a  Holy 
Temple  as  ascending,  in  spirit,  through  the 
sacred  dome  of  light,  she  descended  in  body 
to  the  silent  palaces  of  the  dead ! 

Taking  care  to  return  the  woven  tablet 
without  ever  letting  it  lose  its  touch  with  the 
body  of  the  sleeper,  Leon  restores  the  tablet 
as  he  had  originally  found  it. 

By  this  time  the  light  of  the  sun  fills  each 
part  of  the  cave,  leaving  no  shadow,  but  giving 
to  the  stalactite  pendants  on  the  roof  a  hundred 
points  of  incandescence  which  cast  a  glow 
upon  the  youth,  suggesting  to  the  entranced 
philosopher  a  more  than  earthly  beauty,  over 


286  THE   SON    OF   A   STAR 

which  he  sits  down  to  reflect  and  wonder. 
Gradually  the  music  of  the  falling  water 
absorbs  his  senses,  and  from  thinking  of  the 
symbols  he  has  read  he  lapses  into  a  vague 
counting  of  the  musical  drops  of  the  cascades. 
The  sounds  become  metrical,  and  chime  to  him 
inconsequent  words,  of  which  the  following 
poor  translation  may  convey  an  idea  : — 

Drop  !  drop  !  drop  ! 
Myriads  of  drops  in  an  hovir 

Drop  !  drop  !  drop  ! 
Myriads  of  drops  in  a  shower. 

Splash  1  splash  !  splash  ! 
Rise  up  in  bubbles  and  fly ; 

Splash  !  splash  1  splash  ! 
Sink  into  oceans  and  die. 

And  so  for  a  time  we  will  leave  this  mystic 
three  under  the  safe  protection  of  Him  who  is 
their  strength  and  their  shield. 


END   OF   THE   FIRST   VOLUME. 


PBISTED    BY 

SPorn-swooDK  and  co.,  new-stoeet  square 

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J-TJZNrZB      18S8. 


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Edersheim's  Life  and  Times  of  Je:;us  the  Messiah.    2  vols.  Svo.  2is. 

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Lenormant's  New  Translation  of  the  Book  of  Genesis.   Translated  into  English. 

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Lyra  Germanica  :  Hymns  translated  by  Miss  Winkworth.    Fop.  8vo.  5s. 
Macdonald's  (G.)  Unspoken  Sermons,    Two  Series,  Crown  8vo.  Zs.  Gd.  each. 

—  The  Miracles  of  our  Lord.    Crown  8vo.  3».  Gd. 

Manning's  Temporal  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost.    Crown  8vo.  8^.  Gd. 
Martineau's  Endeavours  after  the  Christian  Life.    Cro%\Ti  8vo.  7s.  Gd. 

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Max  Miiller'a  Origin  and  Growth  of  Religion.    Crown  8vo.  7s.  Gd. 

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Newman's  Apologia  pro  Vita  Sua.    Crown  8vo.  6*. 

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Roberts'  Greek  the  Language  of  Christ  and  His  Apostles.    8vo.  18*. 
Supernatural  Religion.    Complete  Edition.    3  vols.  8vo.  3G*. 
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10 


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Cabinet  Kilition, 
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crown  8vo.  17s.  Sd.    Popular  Edition,  4to.  Cd. 
Crawford's  Itomiuiscences  of  Foreign  Travel.    Crown  Svo.  5s. 
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Novels  by  the  Author  of  '  The  Atelier  du  Lya '  : 

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Mademoiselle  Mori:  a  Tale  of  Modem  Rome,    Crown  Svo.  2s.  Gd. 
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Hester's  Venture.    Crown  Svo.  2^.  Cd. 
Oliphant's  (Mrs.)  Madam.    Crown  Svo.  Is.  boards  ;  Is.  Gd.  clotli. 

—  —     In  Triist :  the  Story  of  a  Lady  and  her  Lover.    Crown  Svo. 

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Payn's  (James)  The  Luck  of  the  Darrells.    Crown  Svo.  Is.  boards  ;  Is.  Gd.  cloth, 

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SPORTS    AND    PASTIMES. 

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Shooting,  by  Lord  Walsingham,  iSio.    2  vols. 

Cycling.    By  Viscount  Bury. 

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Cricket.    By  A.  G.  Steel,  &o. 

Driving.    By  the  Duke  of  Beaufort,  &o. 

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Francis's  Treatise  on  Fisliing  in  all  its  Branches,    Post  8vo. 
Longman's  Chess  Openings.    Fcp.  8vo.  2s.  6d. 

Pease's  The  Cleveland  Hounds  as  a  Trencher-Fed  Pack.    Royal  8vo.  18^. 
Pole's  Theory  of  the  Modern  Scientific  Game  of  Whist.    Fcp.  8vo.  '2s.  6ii. 
Proctor's  How  to  Play  Whist.    Crown  8vo.  5s, 
P.onalds's  Fly-Fisher's  Entomology.    8vo.  lis. 
Wilcocks's  Sea-Fisherman.    Post  8vo.  6s. 

ENCYCLOPiCDIAS,    DICTIONARIES,    AND    BOOKS    OF 

REFERENCE. 


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Ayre's  Treasury  of  Bible  Knowledge.    Fcp.  8vo.  6^. 

Cabinet  Lawyer  (The),  a  Popular  Digest  of  the  Laws  of  England. 

Cates's  Dictionary  of  General  Biography.    Medium  8vo.  28s. 

Gwilt's  Encyclopaedia  of  Architecture.    8vo.  52s.  lid. 

Keith  Johnston's  Dictionary  of  Geography,  or  General  Gazetteer. 

M'Culloch's  Dictionary  of  Commerce  and  Commercial  Navigation. 

Maunder's  Biographical  Treasury.    Fcp.  8vo.  6s. 

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Quain's  Dictionary  of  Medicine.    Medium  Svo.  31^.  Gd.,  or  in  2  vols.  Zis. 
Keeve's  Cookery  and  Housekeeping.    Crown  Svo.  5s. 
Rich's  Dictionary  of  Roman  and  Greek  Antiquities.     Crown  8vo.  7s.  Gd. 
Roget's  Thesaurus  of  Euylish  Words  and  Phrases.    Crown  Svo.  10s.  Gd. 
Willich's  Popular  Tables,  by  Marriott.    Crown  Svo.  10s.  Gd. 

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Anderson's  Strength  of  Materials.    3s.  6d. 
Armstrong's  Organic  Chemistry.    3s,  Gd. 
Ball's  Elements  of  Astronomy.    6^. 
Barry's  Railway  Appliances.    3s.  6i. 
Bauennan's  Systematic  Mineralogy.    6*. 
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Bloxam  and  Huntington's  Metals.    Bt, 
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Glazebrook  and  Shaw's  Practical  Physics.    Gs. 
Gore's  Art  of  Electro-Metallurgy.    Gs, 
Griflin's  Algebra  and  Trigonometry.    Zs,  6d, 
Holmes's  The  Steam  Engine.    6.?. 
Jeukin's  Electricity  and  Magnetism.    3*.  6d. 
Maxwell's  Theory  of  Heat.    3j.  6d, 
Merrifield's  Technical  Arithmetic  and  Mensuration. 
Miller's  Inorganic  Chemistry.    3*.  6d, 
Preece  and  Sivewright's  Telegraphy.    Bs, 
Kutley's  Study  of  Rocks,  a  Text-Book  of  Petrology. 
Shelley's  Workshop  Appliances,    is.  6d, 
Thome's  Structural  and  Physiological  Botany.    6*. 
Thorpe's  Quantitative  Chemical  Analysis,    is.  6d, 
Thorpe  and  Muir's  Qualitative  Analysis.    3^.  6i. 
Tilden's  Chemical  Pliilosophy.    3s.  Gd.    With  Answers  to  Problems. 
Unwin's  Elements  of  Machine  Design.    6^. 
Watson's  Plane  and  Solid  Geometry.    3s.  Gd, 


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is.  6d, 


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Bloomfleld's  College  and  School  Greet  Testament.    Fcp.  8vo.  5*. 
BoUand  &  Lang's  Politics  of  Ai'istotle.    Post  8vo.  7s.  Gd, 
Collis's  Chief  Tenses  of  the  Greek  Irregular  Verbs.    8vo.  Is, 

—  Pontes  GrEeci,  Steppiiig-Stone  to  Greek  Grammar.    12mo.  3*.  Gd, 

—  Praxis  Grseca,  Etymology.    12mo.  2s.  Gd. 

—  Greek  Verse-Book,  Praxis  lambica.    12mo.  4*.  Gd. 
Farrar's  Brief  Greek  Syntax  and  Accidence.    12mo.  4*.  Gd, 

—  Greek  Grammar  Rules  for  Harrow  School.    12mo.  Is.  Gd. 
Geare's  Notes  on  Thucydides.    Book  I.    Fcp.  8vo.  2s.  Gd, 


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THE  fre:nch  language, 

Albit^a's  How  to  Speak  French.    Fcp.  8vo.  5s.  Gd. 

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Cassal's  French  Genders.    Crown  8vo.  'Ss.  6d. 
Oassal  &  Karcher's  Graduated    French  Translation    Bonk.       Part  I.  3s.  6d 

Part  II.  5j,    Key  to  Part  I.  by  Professor  Cassal,  price  5s. 
Contanseau's  Practical  French  and  English  Dictionary,    Post  8vo.  Zs.  6d. 

—  Pocket  French  and  English  Dictionary,    Square  ISnio.  Is.  6d, 

—  PremiSres  Lectures.    12mo.  2s.  Gd. 

—  First  Step  in  French.    12mo.  2s.  Gd.    Key,  3*, 
French  Accidence,    12mo.  2s.  Gd.  ' 

—  —      Grammar.    12nio.  4s.    Key,  Ss, 
Contanseau's  Middle-Class  French  Course.    Fcp.  8vo. : — 

Accidence,  8d. 
Syntax,  8ii, 


French  Translation-Book,  Sd, 
Easy  French  Delectus,  8d, 
Fir.-;t  French  Reader,  8d. 
Second  French  Reader,  8d. 
French  and  English  Dialogues,  8i. 


French  Conversation-Book,  Sd. 
First  French  Exercise-Book,  8^. 
Second  French  Exercise- Book,  Sd. 
Contanseau's  Guide  to  French  Translation.    12mo.  3^.  Gd.    Key  3s.  Gd, 

—  Prosateurs  et  Po6tes  Friin^ais.    12mo.  5^. 

—  Pr6ci3  de  la  Littiirature  Fi'an9aise.    12mo.  3^.  Gd, 

—  Abr6g6  de  I'Histoire  de  Franco.    12mo.  2i.  Gd. 

rival's  Chouans  et  Bleus,  with  Notes  by  C.  Sankey,  M.A,    Fcp.  8vo.  2s.  Gd, 

Jerram's  Sentences  for  Translation  into  French.    Cr.  8vo.  Is.    Key,  2s.  Gd, 

Prendergast's  Mastery  Series,  French.    12mo.  2s.  Gd. 

Souvestre's  PhUosophe  sous  les  Toits,  by  Stiiivenard.    Square  18mo.  Is.  Gd, 

Stepping-Stone  to  French  Pronunciation.     ISmo.  Is. 

Sti6venard's  Lectures  Fran^aises  from  Modern  Authors.     12mo.  is.  Gd . 

—  Rules  and  Exercises  on  the  French  Language,    12mo.  3s.  Gd. 

Tarver's  Eton  French  Grammar.    12mo.  Gs.  Gd. 

THE    GERMAN    LANGUAGE. 

Elackley's  Practical  German  and  English  Dictionary.    Post  8vo.  3^,  Gd, 
Euohheim's  Gei-man  Poetry,  for  Repetition.     18mo.  1*.  Gd. 
Collis's  Card  of  German  Irregular  Verbs.    8vo.  2s. 
Fischer-Fischart's  Elementary  German  Grammar.    Fcp.  Svo.  2s.  Gd, 
Just's  German  Grammar.    12mo.  Is.  Gd. 

—    German  Reading  Book.     12mo.  3.?,  Gd, 
Longman's  Pocket  German  and  English  Dictionary,    Square  18mo.  2s.  Gd. 
Naftel's  Elementary  German  Course  for  Public  Schools.    Fcp.  8vo. 


German  Accidence,    dd. 
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First  German  Exercise-Book.    9d. 
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Prendergast's  Mastery  Series,  German.    12mo.  2s.  Gd. 
Quick's  Essenti.als  of  German.    Crown  8vo.  3*.  Gd. 
.  Selss's  School  Edition  of  Goethe's  Faust.    Crown  Svo.  5s. 
—     Outline  of  German  Literature.    Crown  Svo.  is.  Gd, 
Wirth's  German  Chit-Chat.    Crown  Svo.  2s.  Gd. 


German  Prose  Composition  Book,    9<i 
First  German  Reaiier.     9d. 
Second  German  Reader.    9d. 


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